Sickle-shaped cells die early, causing a person to have a continual shortage of red blood cells. The cells can also become stuck in blood vessels, which can disrupt the flow of blood.

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic blood disorder that changes the shape of red blood cells, making them sickle-shaped (like a “C”) instead of round.

It occurs due to a genetic mutation that produces abnormal haemoglobin S, causing red blood cells to become rigid, sticky, and crescent-shaped instead of their normal round, flexible form.

People with SCA have mutations in both of their hemoglobin genes. This causes them to make stiff, unusually shaped red blood cells resembling a crescent or sickle rather than flexible round discs ...

The Red Cross has issued an urgent plea for Black Americans to donate blood because 1 in 3 are a donor match for people with sickle cell disease, according to the organization.

Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that’s rich in iron. It carries oxygen to every cell in your body and moves carbon dioxide out to your lungs so you can exhale it.

The treatment, called exa-cel and made by the companies Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics, edits a gene involved in red blood cell shape and function. It appears to functionally cure the disease for ...

Sickle cell disease can clog the blood flow when the abnormally shaped red blood cells travel through small vessels, according to the CDC. This can cause pain and other health problems such as ...