It is a genetic, chronic, non-infectious disease affects the bone marrow and leads to anemia and change the red blood cells to become like a crescent.

  Symptoms:

Symptoms of the disease usually appear at six months and older and they are as follows:

- Paleness as a result of anemia.

- Yellowness in the skin and eyes.

- Acute pain in the bone.

- Fatigue and inability to carry out activities.

- Immensity of the spleen and forming gallstones.

- Frequent infections.

How it is transmitted?

The disease is heritable from parents to children and affects both sexes. It can only happen if one of them has sickle cell anemia and the other one has beta-thalassemia. If both parents have the disease, there is a great possibility that the child will born with a severe form of disease by 25% each time the wife becomes pregnant.

Is there a cure for the disease?

There is no definitive treatment of sickle cell anemia, but the treatment used is only to alleviate the disease like: painkillers (Hydroxyurea), and also bone marrow can be transplanted, which is an expensive and its success rate is 60%, in addition finding a donor is so difficult.

What are the benefits of pre-marital examinations?

- Reduce the spread of this heritable disease.

- Identifying the person who is carrier the disease or infected with it.

- Having healthy children who don’t have the disease.

- Saving effort and money.

- A healthy and stable social life.

How to protect your offspring from disease?

It’s important to conduct Pre-marital examinations

These are the possibilities that may occur in each pregnancy:

 Healthy Marriage

Healthy + Healthy= All children are healthy

Healthy + Infected = All children are healthy but carry the disease

Unhealthy Marriage

Infected + Infected = All children are infected

Infected + Carrier = probability of fetus infecting is 50% per pregnancy

Carrier + Carrier = probability of fetus infection is 25% per pregnancy

Carrier of beta-thalassemia + Carrier of sickle cell anemia = probability of fetus infection is 25% per pregnancy.

Tips for patients’ families

Patient should abide by the following:

- Drink large amounts of water and fluids in the summer.

- not exposure to extreme heat.

- Eat foods which are rich in protein, e.g. meat, fish, eggs, milk, as well as foods containing fiber and vitamins such as (vegetables and fruits).

- Taking Folic acid and medicines containing iron as instructed by the doctor.

- Doctor should be consulted quickly when any of the following symptoms appear on the patient:

Loss of appetite or extreme fatigue - diarrhea or vomiting - headache or severe cough - high temperature - severe pain in the joints or abdomen.