What is sickle-cell disease?

Sickle Cell is a disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. “Sickle-shaped” means that the red blood cells are shaped like a crescent. People who do not have sickle-cell have normal red blood cells and look like disc-shaped.They move easily through your blood vessels. Red blood cells contain an iron-rich protein called hemoglobin . Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Sickle cells contain abnormal hemoglobin called sickle hemoglobin. Sickle hemoglobin causes the cells to develop a sickle, or crescent, shape. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky. They tend to block your blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. Blocked blood flow can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damages.