Sickle Cell Disease (Anemia)

Information about Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle Cell Disease is a disease that causes sickle-shaped blood cells in the body, which is abnormal because normally, red blood cells are round and flexible, which enables them to travel freely through the narrow blood vessels. It is disorder that affects the red blood cells, which use a protein called hemoglobin to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. People with sickle cell disease have a mutation in a gene on chromosome 11. As a result, hemoglobin molecules don't form properly, causing red blood cells to be rigid and have a concave shape. These irregularly shaped cells get stuck in the blood vessels and are unable to transport oxygen effectively, causing pain and damage to the organs. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky. They block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. This can cause pain and organ damage. It can also raise the risk for infection.

Causes Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease. People who have the disease inherit two genes for sickle hemoglobin—one from each parent. This means that a child will not inherit the disease unless both parents pass down a defective copy of the gene. People who inherit one good copy of the gene and one mutated copy are carriers. When both parents have a normal gene and an abnormal gene, each child has a 25 percent chance of inheriting two normal genes; a 50 percent chance of inheriting one normal gene and one abnormal gene; and a 25 percent chance of inheriting two abnormal genes.

Symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease prevents oxygen from reaching the spleen, liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, or other organs, causing a lot of damage. Without oxygen, the cells that make up these organs will begin to die. For example, the spleen is often destroyed in these patients resulting in some loss of immune function. As a result, these patients often experience frequent infections.The red blood cells of patients with sickle cell disease don't live as long as healthy red blood cells.  When sickle-shaped red blood cells get stuck in blood vessels this can cause episodes of pain called crises. Other symptoms include: delayed growth, strokes, and jaundice (yellowish hue to the skin and eyes because of liver damage). Because of these complications, people with this disorder are likely to have their life span reduced by about 30 years.

Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease
Babies and young children with sickle cell disease must take a daily dose of penicillin to prevent potentially deadly infections. Patients also take folic acid, which helps build new red blood cells. Doctors advise people with sickle cell disease to get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and avoid too much physical activity.Acute chest syndrome is a severe and life-threatening complication of sickle cell anemia. If acute (sudden) failure of the liver and kidneys also occurs, it's called acute multiple organ failure. Treatment for these complications usually occurs in a hospital and may include oxygen therapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, pain medicine, and balancing body fluids. People with more severe cases of the disease can be treated with a bone marrow transplant. This procedure provides the patient with healthy red blood cells from a donor, ideally from a sibling. Also,  blood and marrow stem cell transplants may offer a cure for a small number of people.

Source: 
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/whataregd/sicklecell/
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca/causes.html

Career: Histologist

Background Information
Histologists, also known as histotechnicians, work closely with pathologists and diagnosticians to identify the cause of patient symptoms and flag any warning signs of disease. These professionals handle and analyze human tissue and blood samples to determine how patients are responding to treatment or medication. Histologists assume managerial roles and generally perform more intricate and advanced tasks than a histologist technician.

• Before a patient receives a blood transfusion, histologists examine and verify that the donor blood matches the patient's blood type. Histologists not only analyze and confirm the test results of blood samples, but also search for signs of bacteria, viruses, parasites and other contaminants in human tissue and body fluid. These professionals use laboratory instruments and equipment to prepare, slice and stain tissue samples for observation under a microscope. Histologists provide the lab results to physicians, who use the samples in their medical diagnosis.

  Education

  • A bachelor's degree in medical technology or life sciences is the minimum requirement for a histologist position. Some employers accept candidates with an associate degree and equivalent work experience. Courses that prepare for a histology career include microbiology, statistics, chemistry and biological sciences. In addition, histology majors must obtain clinical experience as an intern or trainee in a histopathology lab. Histology internships typically last one year, though formal training programs may last longer. Most employers also require that professionals obtain histology certification through professional organizations, such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel.

    Salary

    • The average hourly wage for histologists in the United States ranged between $18.25 and $26.89 as of June 2010, according to PayScale.com. Total average pay, including bonuses and overtime, fell between $39,120 and $59,421 per year.

      
      

      Sources:

      http://www.ehow.com/about_6592403_histologist-job-description.html

      http://www.news-medical.net/news/20121115/Cool-cut-specimen-clamp-from-Thermo-Scientific-maintains-block-temperature-for-better-quality-sections.aspx