Running head: SICKLE CELL ANEMIA 1
Sickle Cell Anemia
Vivian Harp
California State University San Bernardino
Dr. Dorothy Chen
September 7, 2016
SICKLE CELL ANEMIA 2
Sickle cell disease is a disease which describes an inherited red blood cell disorder. According to
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI, 2016), the defining characteristic of sickle cell
disease is the individual’s abnormal hemoglobin in their red blood cells, which is called hemoglobin S or
sickle hemoglobin. What is the importance of hemoglobin in the body? Hemoglobin is a crucial protein
in red blood cells which functions by carrying oxygen throughout the body delivering the oxygen to the
body’s tissues (NHLBI, 2016). Abnormal hemoglobin, also known as hemoglobin S (HbS), is what causes
sickle cell disease; however, the more pressing question would be how does one acquire hemoglobin S?
Hemoglobin S is inherited and the most common and severe form of hemoglobin S is hemoglobin SS,
which more commonly known as sickle cell anemia (NHLBI, 2016). This paper will discuss this form of
sickle cell disease, as it is the most common and concerning form. As previously mentioned, sickle cell
anemia is an inherited disease and inheritance depends on the genes of the individual’s parents. An
individual can have the hemoglobin S gene along with along with a normal hemoglobin gene, essentially
