sickle-cell disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, or sickle cell anemia is a group of inherited hemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. Sickle cell anaemia results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. This leads to the red blood cells adopting an abnormal sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. With this shape, they cannot deform as they pass through capillaries, causing blockages.