What sickle cell disease does to the body
Sickle cell is an inherited genetic condition — not something that can be contracted from another person. It is present from birth. Healthy red blood cells are round and flexible, able to change shape to move through different sizes of blood vessels. In patients with sickle cell disease, those cells harden, collapse, and become non-malleable, getting stuck in the smallest blood vessels and cutting off circulation to the arms, legs, and vital organs.
The condition causes extreme pain, raises the risk of infection, and can damage the heart and kidneys. It is a lifelong condition.
Dr. Laura Finn, section head of classical hematology for Ochsner Health, said the disease significantly shortens life expectancy.
“These patients have a life expectancy that’s about 20 years shorter than the average population,” Finn said. “So knowing that we could offer gene therapy to an adolescent or younger adult, we could hopefully achieve a lifespan for these patients that matches the rest of us.”