Sickle cell anemia according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health - NLM/NIH (2013), "is a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells." As the NLM/NIH further point out, the cells produced in this case ordinarily have a crescent-like shape. The red blood cells of an individual usually have a disk-like shape. It is this disk like shape that enhances and eases their movement through the blood vessels of an individual. According to NLM/NIH (2013), sickle cells routinely get stuck in an individual's blood vessels thereby causing blood flow blockage. In addition to causing pain, such blockage could also lead to organ damage (NLM/NIH, 2013).

When it comes to the causes of the disease, it is important to note that genetics play a critical role on this front. In that regard, therefore, a parent can pass the sickle cell disease to their child....
[ View Full Essay]