What causes sickle cell anaemia and who can get it?
Sickle cell anaemia is caused by a mistake on a particular gene. Both parents have to pass on the problem gene for there to be a chance of you having sickle cell anaemia. If you inherit the problem gene from one parent, and a normal gene from the other, they will have something called ‘sickle cell trait’, which doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, but can be passed on to the next generation. Sickle cell anaemia causes problems with the red blood cells. The pigment that makes red blood cells red (haemoglobin) also holds them in shape. Normally they’re doughnut-shaped, but the red blood cells in someone with sickle cell anaemia are crescent or sickle-shaped, (which gives the name to the disorder) which can cause various knock-on effects.
