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October 27: National Day to Fight for the Rights of People with Sickle Cell Diseases

Check out the article written by the students of the Academic League of Sickle Cell Disease (LADF) for the iSaúde Bahia website.

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Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder characterized by the malformation of hemoglobin A in erythrocytes. Among the sickle cell diseases, the most frequent ones are sickle cell anemia (HbSS), S thalassemia or micro-skeletal disease and the double heterozygoses, HbSC and HbSD, with sickle cell anemia being the most serious and the most common of this group. The main symptoms result from the difficulty of erythrocytes with mutant hemoglobins to exert their role in the transport of gases through the body, and among them are the painful crises, mainly in the muscles, bones and joints; painful swellings in the ankles and wrists, especially in early life; chronic anemia, due to destruction of erythocytes and jaundice.