sickle-cell anaemia
A doctor shows a patient a diagram of a red blood cell affected by sickle-cell anaemia.
Noun: A genetic blood disorder, specifically a form of hemolytic anemia, characterized by the presence of abnormal, crescent-shaped (sickle-shaped) red blood cells. These malformed cells are rigid and can block blood flow, leading to pain, organ damage, and increased risk of infection.
The term is used in medical and general contexts to refer to the inherited disease. * Sickle-cell anaemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells the body how to make hemoglobin. * Managing pain is a critical aspect of care for patients with sickle-cell anaemia. * Research into new treatments for sickle-cell anaemia is ongoing.
- Sickle-cell crisis / vaso-occlusive crisis: A painful episode that occurs when sickled red blood cells block blood flow to an area of the body.
- The patient was hospitalized due to a severe sickle-cell crisis.
- Sickle-cell disease (SCD): A broader term encompassing all genotypes of the disorder, with sickle-cell anaemia (HbSS) being the most common and often most severe form.
- Sickle-cell trait: The condition of carrying one copy of the mutated gene; individuals with the trait are typically healthy carriers but can pass the gene to their children.
- Sickle-cell disease (in its specific HbSS form)
- HbSS disease (technical term)
This term has one primary, specific medical meaning. It is not used idiomatically or with significantly different connotations. The spelling "anaemia" is standard in British English; the American English spelling is "sickle-cell anemia".
A doctor shows a patient a diagram of a red blood cell affected by sickle-cell anaemia.
- a congenital form of anemia occurring mostly in blacks; characterized by abnormal blood cells having a crescent shape