According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)SCD is an inherited blood disorder that results in chronic health problems. People with SCD have abnormal hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Abnormal, or sickle-shaped, hemoglobin cannot deliver enough oxygen to the rest of the body. This causes individuals with SCD to experience episodes of pain. Over time, the lack of oxygen damages the organs, especially the spleen, brain, lungs and kidneys. SCD also causes anemia, or a low number of red blood cells.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects millions of people throughout the world and is particularly common among those whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Sickle cell disease affects millions of people worldwide. It is most common among people whose ancestors come from Africa; Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Turkey, and Italy; the Arabian Peninsula; India; and Spanish-speaking regions in South America, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean.
Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, affecting 70,000 to 80,000 Americans. The disease is estimated to occur among about 1 out of every 500 Black or African-American births, 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births, and sickle cell trait occurs among about 1 in 12 Blacks or African Americans.