The human body is created astonishingly. Every part and system is precise and perfect in performing its desired functions. Blood is one of the core bases of life. If the blood functioning is disrupted due to any reason, then the consequences can be very severe, chronic, and sometimes fatal. The associated blood diseases sometimes tend to follow a genetic or inherited pattern. The blood abnormality we are about to discuss today is strictly genetic and can be fatal at times.

WHAT IS SICKLE CELL ANEMIA:

Sickle Cell Anemia or Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a blood disease following a genetic trial. In this disease, the regular disc shape of the Erythrocytes becomes abnormal sickle or crescent-shaped. The erythrocytes, due to irregular shape transformation, find it difficult to pass the blood vessels. It also affects the oxygen-carrying capacity of the Red Blood Corpuscles.

The sickle-shaped Erythrocytes become rigid and prone to getting stuck in the blood vessels causing cytological and histological damages within the body.

SYMPTOMS OF SICKLE CELL ANEMIA:

Every medical abnormality is followed by sure signs and symptoms that help in diagnosing the disease. Following the same, the prime symptoms that help in identifying sickle cell anemia are given below:

• Hemolysis: 

Rapid destruction of erythrocytes. 

• Optic Dysfunction:

The patient is observed to suffer from an incurable vision problem as the tiny optic vessels get plugged, causing damages to the retina and the vision automatically.

• Adema:

Swelling and over swelling of hands and feet mainly. In cases, swelling is observed on the whole body.

• Jaundice:

The eyes and skin turn yellow, followed by weakness.

• Frequent Infections

The patient suffers from infection frequently, which ends up weakening the immune system of the patient. Damage of the spleen causes fatal and chronic conditions in the patient.

• Anemia:

Due to the rapid destruction of the erythrocytes, the patient suffers from anemic critical conditions. It is one of the significant symptoms of sickle cell anemia.

CAUSES OF SICKLE CELL ANEMIA:

• Genetic Cause:

Sickle cell anemia is caused by the mutation in the gene that is responsible for carrying the relevant genetic information about the production of hemoglobin (the iron-rich compound that gives the blood its red color, enabling the erythrocytes to carry the oxygen from the lungs throughout the human body.

• Congenital Cause:

The transferring of the mutated gene is also in the body of the fetus,

MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS OF SICKLE CELL ANEMIA: 

Acute Chest Syndrome:

The life-threatening condition in which the sickle cell erythrocytes block the blood vessels of the lungs causing difficulty in breathing. Sometimes it may lead to Pneumonitis (inflammation in the lungs).

Leg Ulcer:

Swelling is observed on the entire body, including the legs and hands particularly. This condition is termed a leg ulcer.

Organ damage:

Lack of oxygen-rich blood in the organs causes dysfunction of the organs, including kidney, liver, spleen, etc. In many observed cases, the deficiency of oxygen-rich blood had been fatal to the patients. 

Eye abnormalities:

Blockage in the eye vessels of the body can cause severe damages to the visions and visuals of the patient.

Neurological Complications:

Oxygen-Rich blood is most important for the proper functioning of our brain. The deficiency of oxygen can cause severe damages to the brain resulting in epilepsy, seizures, and strokes. 

Sometimes the patient is observed to slip into a comma. All of these abnormalities are caused by the blockage of the brain.

Delayed Growth:

The retardation of physical growth is observed in the children specifically. It is a possibility that the children face delayed development in their childhood, but they might retain their growth usually in their adulthood.

Sex maturation is also an evidential complication observed as a consequence of sickle cell anemia.

LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS:

Blood Tests:

As sickle cell anemia is a blood-associated disease, so blood diagnosis is the best cheap and reliable test to diagnose the condition.

• CBC or Complete Blood Count:

Helps in estimating the count of erythrocytes in the blood. Decreased amount of RBCs proves that the patient is facing some severe hemolytic effects.

• Blood Smears:

The formation of blood smears aids in estimating the average and contracted number of cells circulating in the blood.

• Sickle solubility test:

This test helps graph the concentration of hemoglobin (Hb) in the blood. Decreased concentration will increase the possibility of the disease.

TREATMENT:

Bone Marrow Transplant:

Sickle cell anemia is difficult to treat with drugs and medications. The most effective way to cure this disorder of blood is a bone marrow transplant. As the disease causes hemolysis (destruction of RBCs), bone marrow transplant will aid in the formation of new blood cells decreasing the destructions of the cells.

Medications to increase fetal hemoglobin:

Droxia and Hydrea help in increasing the fetal hemoglobin in the body.

Sickle cell anemia can be fatal and can cause death if not treated on time. You can get many resources like Researchomatic, Wikipedia, etc from where you can get more details about the said topic.

With the slow site performance of the past few days, I forgot until now to post my latest New Books Network interview! It's with Doron Galili about his pre-history of television, which examines both its development and how visionaries conceptualized its role. Please enjoy with my compliments.

Emergence is the second book in the Voodoo Butterfly series, and we start pretty much where we left off. Sophia and Taj are still together, although things aren't quite as smooth as they were. However, trouble isn't far away, and Poppy ends up being injured. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and things quickly go downhill for Sophie. Add to that, Taj disappears mysteriously, quickly followed by Avi.

I'll be honest here, for a while I was worried this was going to become the ubiquitous love triangle, but Camille Faye managed to avoid that in this book. Now, I'm not saying it may not happen in the future, but for now, in this book, we're safe.

There is plenty of action and adventure in this book, possibly more than Voodoo Butterfly, and it is great to see Sophie growing in confidence and power. We also meet more of the Mambos, and find out more about them, which made for incredible reading.

I am absolutely loving this series, as it is exceptionally written, with no editing or grammatical errors that spoil my reading. The story is intricate and intriguing, definitely leaving me wanting more. With a great cast of supporting characters to round things off, there is simply nothing about this series/book that I don't like.

Fair warning though - there is still a mystery to solve regarding Taj, and it does end on a cliffhanger. I know something is going on with him, but I'll always be Team Jacques!

Definitely recommended by me!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Per fictfact.com's new release calendar :

7thGARDEN, Vol. 7 - Mitsu Izumi  #7 in 7th GARDEN
A Song Unheard - Roseanna M. White  #2 in Shadows Over England
A Wedding At Two Love Lane - Kieran Kramer  #2 in Two Love Lane

("Read more" stays on booklikes, I just didn't want a long post hijacking the dashboard for those of you who don't have settings set to initially view shorten posts)

Emergence: A Humanity 2.0 Novel - J.M. M...

*I was offered a copy of this book from the author or publisher for review.

These novella length stories are longer than short stories so you can get the feel of the full story, characters, and world. Each story is different but set as a braided story in the same world. There are mentions of other characters from stories in them as you go, but nothing that would take from the story if you didn't read it.

Overall it's an enjoyable set of novellas based on people who come into super powers. But how will they use it? And how will the world be touched by them? Good? Bad? You decide.

From the Barrel of a Gun by Jeff C. Carter
I wasn't sure where this story was going as we watch the court case of Timothy Hathcock for killing 23 chimerics (super-beings). When I was about ready to say I was bored, the story took a twist and Hathcock decided to take the stand. That's when things cleared and made me thing.

We get this story from Lars Wilson, superhero known as The Red Wraith, point of view. He's stood by and watched his friends killed and had a target on his own head. Hathcock has his own story too. We get both here. Now we try to decide who is in the right. Or are they both wrong? Does two wrongs make a right? In this case, it's a slippery slope. Interesting.

Never Go Half-Supervillain by C.T. Phipps
David makes a living helping villains in his home town Motor Hills. But part-time as he's living a life as a husband and father too. David, The Freelancer, is drawn into the conspiratory world of who's in charge and who's doing right, to find he needs to decide what he wants to do.

C.T.'s humor with science fiction/fantasy is the top of my favorite list. So many quick remarks that I get! And they make me smile. I enjoyed seeing David be on his own side through the story. And make his decision. It was quite a dangerous adventure for David, but I didn't get overly worried for him because of his ability, though it's not always right...

We Could Be Heroes by Eloise J. Knapp
Vlad and Lucy are eighteen year old chimerics trying to get by in Russia under the thieving hand of a cruel man. They want to be heroes, not the thieves they have to be for Cheslav. One day, they will find a way to break his hold on them and escape to America.

I liked the way this story gave us a past and present view. Almost like two stories in one. It tells of what happened in the past to bring Vlad to be who he is today, and how he got to today. Vlad and Lucy work to get away from one life in Russia, to fall into another in America. Is it better and what they wanted? Hmm, you'll have to read to find out.

Whiplash by Tim Marquitz
Whiplash is working through college, but finds herself helping against the crime in her home city. Chimeric in their teens are popping up and attacking and stealing from stores. Vivian doesn't think it's a coincidence, there is a pattern. She puts the pieces together and goes after these kids, to find a bigger danger behind the acts of the kids. Monger.

I found this story fun with the headbanging and metal-head references. But what I like is that Whiplash, or Vivian, does get beat up. It's not that she's beat up that I like, but that she takes a beating and keeps going. She does get hurt, but she'll fight on. She keeps going back to stop what's happening. She wants to stop the person behind it too. That's strength. That's power. I like that draw to Whiplash as a character.

The Other by Rob J. Hayes
David wants to remain safe from the crime and chimerics employed to do crime, so he's modified his body. Working at Biotiq prosthetic's lab helps with the new and improved items.

This story is one of my favorites. I really like how it reads and makes me curious and interested in David. And The Other. Interesting story with The Other and what he's trying to do while meeting another chimeric and what she's up to.

Perennial by Edward M. Erdelac
Nico and Pan are tracking Zita, a baby-napper for hire. Pan's goal, to find the babies that didn't go through the illegal adoptions. But he learns more about himself and fights through more than he expected.

This is one of the longest stories in the book, page wise.

The story was okay for me. I really wanted to love it more with one character named Pan, after Peter Pan, and to learn why. I enjoyed some sections, but others dragged. I think the one thing that slowed the story for me was all the back stories. This is something in short stories that slows the story for me and frustrates me. Someone else may well enjoy this story more than I.

Avenger by G.N. Braun
Leon Stone, a security guard at the mall, finds a delivery van with blood on the side door. When he looks inside, he can't believe what he sees! Blood. And death. Then he has to fight the creature that caused it. This one incident draws him into the strange and deadly world of chimerics.

This story had me from the beginning with what Leon found in the van. This is in first person, but I felt I liked the feel from the first sentence. Leon's personality really comes through.

This story feels like it could be a prequel to a series. A series I'd be curious and interested in reading!

Bring It On, Hero by J.M. Martin
Where Avenger stopped, this one picks up from another person's point of view. It's like a braided world. Hero goes in to investigate where the others left. This draws Hero's memories to when had to talk about events lived through and what went wrong.

The story shares, through Hero, the memory of leaving TCA, when first developed powers, and more. The story started really good for me, then I got mixed up in the memories on where and who Hero was in the story.

(They Call Me) Epilogue by Steve Diamond
Kennedy Ross's husband is being honored with a statue. The news press pushes on for more answers and her thoughts on Human Shield not coming into his powers until after he failed to prevent her husbands death...

This is probably the shortest story of the anthology, and I loved it. It had me curious from the get go. What happened to Kennedy's husband to die? Even the true feelings Kennedy has, as you know she's holding back. Oh, I love Kennedy!

This story references the previous ones here, but not based on them. But answers a question from one of the earlier ones. (Who's behind this?)