Sickle cell anemia is a red blood cell disorder. Red blood cells carry oxygen through your
arteries, veins and capillaries and deliver it to cells. Normal red blood cells look like the
ones seen in figure 1. A person who has sickle cell anemia does not have normal shaped
red blood cells. Instead the cells are much more elongated. Sickle cells carry less oxygen
than normal red blood cells.
Sickle cells die much faster than normal red blood cells, and the body cannot create
replacements fast enough. People with sickle cell anemia have other problems because
sickle cells do not fit well through small capillaries. When sickle cells do not fit they
often become trapped. The trapped sickle cells form blockages that prevent blood from
reaching cells throughout the body. The results of sickle cell anemia can range from pain
throughout the body, to constant shortness of breath to death.
Two parents, Mark and Tanisha have normal red blood cells. They live a normal life and
are often jogging or lifting weights at the gym after work. Recently they had their first
child, a baby girl they named Michelle. Michelle was constantly coughing and taking
short breaths after she was born. Tanisha and Mark took their baby to the doctor to find
out what was wrong. They were very surprised when the doctor told them that their
child Michelle had sickle cell anemia.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease characterized by mucus building up in the lungs of
individuals with the disorder. Lung function is damaged due to airway obstruction and
inflammation as well as frequent bacterial infections. People suffering from cystic
fibrosis are constantly in danger of lung infections or having so much mucus build up
that they actually drown. As a result, people who suffer from cystic fibrosis need to have
their backs pounded on in order to break up the mucus in their lungs.
As mucus builds up in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis they become less able to
take in oxygen. Bacterial infections that occur also affect oxygen intake because the
capillaries surrounding the lungs become damaged. When they capillaries become
damaged oxygen cannot diffuse from the lungs into the blood. The complications from
having the cystic fibrosis disorder generally lead to death before a person turns 30.
Two parents, Chris and Vanessa have normal, healthy lungs. They frequently go for runs
and have never smoked. Recently they had their first child, a son named Jorge. As soon
as their son was born he began to cough excessively. He often sounded like he was even
choking. Chris and Vanessa took their son to see a doctor and have tests run. They were
quite surprised, and saddened, when the doctor informed them that their son had cystic
fibrosis disorder.
Dwarfism is a disease where people do not grow to a normal size. People who have the
disease are much shorter than a normal person. They also have shorter arms and legs.
The person in figure 1 has dwarfism. People with dwarfism usually live a normal amount
of time. They are able to do all the things normal sized people do and have the same
types of jobs. The only difference between people with dwarfism and people without
dwarfism is their size.
Will and Tanya have dwarfism and are shown in figure 1 at the bottom. They are both
healthy, they are just smaller than normal people. Will and Tanya have two children.
Both of their children are normal sized and shown in figure 2 at the bottom.
Figure 1
Figure 2