INTERESTINGFACTS


 * Contents:**
 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) Mutation
 * 3) Signs and Symptoms
 * 4) Heredity
 * 5) Treatment Methods
 * 6) Screening
 * 7) **__Interesting Facts__**
 * 8)  Links
 * 9) Bibliography

**__Interesting Facts__**

 * Normal red blood cells can live for 120 days whilst sickle-shaped cells live only 10-20 days.
 * For every 500 African-American babies, 1 has sickle cell Anemia. This is about 0.2%.
 * This disease is most common among the people of Africa, India, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. High occurrences of this defective gene in these particular regions can be attributed to the fact that carriers of a mutation are more resistant to malaria. (refer to Figure 1.)
 * People with this disorder are likely to have their life span reduced by about 30 years.
 * In the United States, the average life expectancy for men is 42 years. While for women, it is 48 years.
 * The more crises the patients get per year, the greater chances of dying prematurely because this refers that patient’s organs are becoming more damaged when they are not receiving enough blood and oxygen."
 * Nigeria, with an estimated 1997 population of 90 million, 45,000-90,000 babies with sickle cell disease are born each year.
 * People who inherit a single gene are referred to as having a single cell trait. These people are protected against malaria and do not develop the sickle cell disease



__**Figure 1.**__ Image from: //http://anthro.palomar.edu/synthetic/images/map_of_sickle_cell_frequencies.gif//

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