Do you know how important it is to know your genotype? There is much more awareness now than before when two individuals came together without discovering their medical status.
Sickle Cell anaemia is a disease that can be passed down to the next generation. When two certain genotypes come together, it can lead to sickle cell or a trait.
Different advice has been shared online concerning marriage and having a sickle cell child. Some are in support, that is, no matter the circumstances, marry who you love. On the other side are people who do not care about love; they just don’t see why you should give birth to a sickle cell child.
Which side are you on? This article discusses everything you need to know about sickle cell anaemia, including its symptoms, causes, treatments, genotype, and types.
What is Sickle Cell Anaemia?
Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disorder categorised as one of sickle cell disease (SCD). It is a sticky and hard red blood cell that dies prematurely, hinders blood flow throughout the body, and causes pain.
Sickle cell occurs when there is a problem with your hemoglobin — the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Blood cells are like discs that move around the blood vessels between 90 to 120 days. However, when hemoglobin becomes stiff after being affected by this disease, it changes the cell’s shape to a sickle, just like a curved hook.
Sickle cells can burst and get stuck when going round the blood vessels, leading to blockage of blood flow. At this juncture, oxygen cannot flow from the lungs to tissues to oxygenate them. This can cause you to have a sudden attack, stroke or pain crisis. When the body lacks healthy red blood cells, it becomes anemic because sickle cells don’t last as long as regular blood cells – just 10 to 20 days.
Symptoms of SCA
Sickle Cell Anaemia starts to show up in a child’s life as early as five to seven months old, and the symptoms can persist throughout a lifetime. The symptoms are listed below:
- Swelling of the feet and hands.
- Slow growth.
- Fatigue.
- Yellowness and whiteness of the eyes.
- Organ failure.
- Kidney problems.
- Infections.
- Too much iron.
Treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia
There is no perfect treatment for anyone because, at different stages of your life, your experience with this disease becomes different. The common treatments are;
- Medications for controlling sickle cell, which could be pain relief.
- Blood transfusion, which is done to prevent and reduce the complication of sickle cell anaemia.
- Blood or bone marrow transplant — it is the process of replacing unhealthy cells with healthy ones.
- Genetic therapy — a process done to alter genetic disorder.
What is genotype?
Genotype is what describes your gene. It is the genetic composition of a person or organism. Genotype is a health condition you should know if you’re compatible with your partner or not.
Read Also: Sickle cell survivor seeks mandatory premarital genotype counselling for couples
Types of genotype
The genotypes of every human are mainly: AA, AS, AC and SS.
AA+ AA = AA, AA, AA, AA
As an AA, if you marry an AA too, you’ve automatically saved your unborn children from having sickle cell or worrying about genotype compatibility.
AA + AS = AA, AS, AA, AS
As AA, if you marry AS, it is still good, but your children have to limit their choice of partner.
AA + SS = AS, AS, AS, AS
When AA and SS marry each other, all their kids would be AS, which is still fair.
AA + AC = AA, AA, AA, AC
AA and AC are a good combination; there are no chances of getting sickle cell disease.
AS + AS = AA, AS, AS, SS
As an AS, it is not good for you to marry an AS too. There is a chance of having a child with SS – which is sickle cell anaemia.
AS + SS = AS, SS, SS, SS
When AS and SS come together, it is very bad. Most of the children would be sickle cell carriers.
AS + AC = AA, AC, AS, SS
This combination is not so good.
AC+ SS = AS, AS, SS, SS
AC marrying SS is a limit to the choice of partner.
AC + AC = AA, AC, AC, SS
This combination can also birth a sickle cell child.
SS + SS = SS, SS, SS, SS
If you’re SS, do not marry someone of the same genotype as you. It is terrible. You cannot escape having children with sickle cell disease.
