What Is Sickle Cell Disorder?
SCD comprises a group of conditions caused by the sickle mutation. The resulting exchange of valine for glutamine at the sixth position on the beta chain leads to the production of a sickle haemoglobin molecule (HbS) which is of low oxygen affinity but with a tendency to polymerise in the presence of hypoxia. These conditions occur when affected genes are inherited from both parents.
