Essay Sample on Sickle Cell Disease: Unveiling the Genetic Factor and Health Disparities

Introduction

Ecological and genetic factors have been associated with various health disorders. From epidemiological data, environmental factors have shown to exacerbate pathogenesis of different human diseases (Stuart & Nagel, 2004). This paper aims at studying a genetic disorder that results from haemoglobin S inheritance. The paper will also discuss the significance of the genetic factor and how it results in health disparities in populations.

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Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

The inheritance of haemoglobin S can cause blood diseases that are collectively known as Sickle Cell diseases. The sickling phenomenon causes the pathological process in sickle cell disease. The development of this disease happens when haemoglobin S molecules form polymers aligned into liquid crystals referred to as tactoids. The presence of these tactoids transforms the red blood cells from their standard disc shape into the sickle shape, where the disease name comes from (Serjeant, 1992). The sickle cell disease has many adverse body effects ranging from delayed growth, infections, and pain episodes, also referred to as pain crises.

Significance of Sickle Cell Disease

SCD characterizes a multi-organ morbidity and increases the risk of early death. Research conducted to study Sickle Cell disease has shown improvement in survival for children with SCD. However, the mortality rate in adults remains high (Weiner et al., 1998).

SCD does not only affect the body but also has many social-economic effects. Chronic pain and Vaso-occlusive crisis bring about substantial economic loss. SCD is a chronic disease that is very costly. In the United States, for example, Published SCD prevalence ranges approximately between 85,000-100,000 individuals. Most of these people are African Americans. People with SCD in the U.S have a shorter life expectancy of two or three decades less than the general population (Piel et al., 2017).

Conclusion

The paper gives a brief explanation of what Sickle cell disease entails, a tabular data presentation of the mortality rates, and the general effect of the disease to the society. Data from the U.S has been used to help understand the disease prevalence. This study gives the limelight for further research on the topic.

References

Ohene-Frempong, K., Weiner, S. J., Sleeper, L. A., Miller, S. T., Embury, S., Moohr, J. W., ... & Sickle Cell Disease, T. C. S. O. (1998). Cerebrovascular accidents in sickle cell disease: rates and risk factors. Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 91(1), 288-294.

Piel, F. B., Steinberg, M. H., & Rees, D. C. (2017). Sickle cell disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(16), 1561-1573.

Serjeant, G. R., & Serjeant, B. E. (1992). Sickle cell disease (Vol. 3). Oxford: Oxford university press.

Stuart, M. J., & Nagel, R. L. (2004). Sickle-cell disease. The Lancet, 364(9442), 1343-1360.