Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder that affects the body’s red blood cells.
People with this disease produce a different version of haemoglobin — the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. This haemoglobin — known as haemoglobin S — changes the shape of the red blood cell from an oval to a sickle-like shape, from which the disease gets its name.
It is also a serious and lifelong health condition characterized by episodes of pain and discomfort which is why it is advisable to understand genotype compatibility before procreating.
For instance, if one parent has normal haemoglobin ( type AA) and the second parent has abnormal haemoglobin ( type AS/sickle cell “trait”), there is a 50% chance that each child will have the sickle cell trait (AS), but they will not have sickle cell disease ( type SS).