Sickle Cell Disease: Genetic Inheritance, Genotype Matching, and Prevention of Severe Hemoglobinopathies
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy caused primarily by a single amino-acid substitution in the beta-globin chain (typically HbS). Under low oxygen tension or deoxygenation, deoxygenated hemoglobin polymerizes, deforming red blood cells into a sickled shape. These rigid cells impair microvascular blood flow, promoting hemolysis and triggering a cascade of ischemia-reperfusion injury, inflammation,… Read More »