What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is a serious disease in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. “Sickle-shaped” means that the red blood cells are shaped like a "C."

 Normal red blood cells are disc-shaped and look like doughnuts without holes in the centre. They move easily through your blood vessels. Red blood cells contain the protein haemoglobin.This iron-rich protein gives blood its red colour and carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Sickle cells contain abnormal haemoglobin that causes the cells to have a sickle shape. Sickle-shaped cells don’t move easily through your blood vessels. They’re stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in the blood vessels. (Other cells also may play a role in this clumping process.)

The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.

Massage is now being used extensively for physical as well as psychological benefits. To help publicise these benefits researchers from the at Nationwide Children's Hospital have published their ‘Journal of Paediatric Psychology’ that illustrates how effective massage has been in the areas of  physical medicine, rehabilitation and with organ transplants patients.