Symptoms

• Symptoms of sickle cell include painful episodes called crises, vision problems, delayed growth and frequent infections.
  
  

Causes

• Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutated gene that causes the body to make a defective form of hemoglobin, the part of red-blood cells that carry oxygen through the body.
  
  

Risks

• The only risk factor for sickle cell is having both parents carry a sickle cell gene. The disease primarily affects people of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Indian ancestry.
  
  

Treatment

• Children under 5 are given regular antibiotic treatments. Other patients are treated with pain medicine, blood transfusions and oxygen.
  
  

Complications

• Complications of sickle cell include stroke, blindness, organ damage and pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the lungs. Patients may also have acute chest syndrome, a life-threatening condition involving pain and trouble breathing.