Overview
Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders passed from parents to children (genetic) that includes sickle cell anemia. It is a condition in which the red blood cells can take on a curved shape, like a sickle. Normal red blood cells are round, soft discs, like doughnuts without holes.
In sickle cell disease, red blood cells start out normal, but if they are stressed they become curved, hard, and sticky. When cells “sickle” it is hard for them to move through the bloodstream. Though they are very small, the sickle cells can damage the blood vessels, keep blood from flowing well, and cause pain and other damage.
Children with sickle cell disease are treated at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, a community clinic of Seattle Children's.
Seattle Children's is an SCCA parent organization with a long history of successfully caring for children and teens with sickle cell disease. And if your health-care provider recommends a bone marrow transplant, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is the best place to be.
Read more about Sickle cell disease on the Seattle Children's web site.
To make an appointment, call Seattle Children's at (206) 987-7232.