Sickle cell disease is a red blood cell disorder that affects hemoglobin,
which is the protein that carries oxygen throughout your body. Healthy red blood cells are flexible and disc-shaped. With sickle cell disease, red blood cells become crescent shaped and too rigid to move easily through the body. This blocks blood and oxygen flow in the body.
Sickle cell disease symptoms usually start around 6 months of age. Keep a close eye on any of the following symptoms that may occur as they may be an indication of sickle cell disease.
Checking your cholesterol levels
Anemia is a large part of sickle cell disease as it has to do with your red blood cells and their ability to properly function.
Healthy red blood cells live for about 120 days.
Sickle red blood cells usually die in only about 10-20 days.
Because of this, those with sickle cell disease experience a lack of oxygen flowing through the body which causes major fatigue and tiredness.
Why Levels Matter
Sickle red blood cells can block the blood flow to certain areas of the body, such as the chest, abdomen, or joints. This causes intense pain in these areas, and this pain can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days and may even require hospitalization depending on the pain intensity.
Those with sickle cell disease may experience intense pain due to blood flow issues.
Cholsterol, when combined with other substances in your body, forms a thick layer in your arteries. This is bad because it makes your arteries narrower, and this makes it harder for blood to flow to your heart and throughout your body.
