• Question: what is sickle cell?

    Asked by blondie14 to Andrew on 19 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Andrew Swale

      Andrew Swale answered on 19 Jun 2013:


      Sickle cell anaemia is a disease whereby a mutation in the haemoglobin gene causes the red blood cells to become ‘sickle’ or ‘crescent’ shaped (as opposed to their usual circular shape)

      This change in shape leads to various complications for the red blood cell’s functions such as oxygen transport etc

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