Sickle Cell Anemia is when the bone marrow in a person's body doesn't create normal blood cells. Instead they are sickle shaped.

These cells are sharp and can poke or clog veins, arteries, and capillaries. Because of this people are often in pain.

The sickle cells can't carry oxygen throughout your body, which is what normal red blood cells do. This causes many problems.

Since there is low oxygen in the person's body, yellow skin and eyes are a common symptom of sickle cell.

Swelling also occurs because of the cells poking the organs. The poking of the spleen allows for more infections. This is apart of the lymphatic system.

Other symptoms are normal anemia, or a low red blood count. Feeling fatigued all the time is common because of the low oxygen, which helps provide energy.

People with this disease have episodes of pain where they can’t move. These are called crises and the person may have to be hospitalized when they happen.

The cardiovascular system is the most affected by this disease, but all the other systems are indirectly affected.

Blood runs throughout the whole body and the sharp cells can damage any organ, including the brain, heart, lungs, and everything else.

If this is left untreated it can be fatal. Strokes, blindness, extreme hypertension, blood clots, organ damage or failure, and many other complications can occur.

If the cells block a vein toward the brain, strokes can occur. They often damage the nerves to your eyes causing blindness.

The people with this disease are given strong pain medication to hopefully stop their crises.

Some may even undergo blood transfusions to lessen the amount of sickle cells.