Sickle cell anaemia | Genetics | Biology | FuseSchool
Summary
TLDRSickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder affecting red blood cells due to a mutation in the hemoglobin gene, causing them to become crescent-shaped and prone to blockages. This can lead to severe pain crises and life-threatening complications. The condition is inherited recessively, requiring two faulty alleles, and is prevalent in regions where malaria is common due to its protective effect against the disease. Carriers have a 50% abnormal hemoglobin, which hinders the malaria parasite's life cycle, thus reducing its prevalence.
Takeaways
- 🧬 Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder affecting red blood cells due to a mutation in the hemoglobin gene.
- 🩸 Normal red blood cells are round and flexible, but in sickle cell anemia, they become crescent or 'sickle' shaped due to the faulty hemoglobin.
- 🚫 The misshapen red blood cells can cause blockages in blood vessels, preventing oxygen and glucose from reaching tissues and organs.
- 😖 Sickle cell crises are episodes of severe pain that can last from minutes to weeks and may lead to life-threatening complications.
- 🧬 To have sickle cell anemia, an individual must inherit two copies of the recessive allele, while one copy makes a person a carrier.
- 👨👩👧👦 Carriers have red blood cells with 50% abnormal hemoglobin, making them more fragile but not causing the disease.
- 🌍 The distribution of sickle cell anemia is linked to regions where malaria is prevalent, particularly in central Africa, India, the Middle East, and among people of African descent.
- 🦟 The sickle cell allele offers a protective effect against malaria, as the parasite's life cycle is disrupted in the fragile red blood cells of carriers.
- 📈 The prevalence of sickle cell anemia is higher in malaria regions because carriers have a higher chance of passing on the allele to their children.
- 🌐 There are approximately 4.4 million people worldwide with sickle cell anemia and an additional 43 million carriers.
- 👍 The video encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and comment if they have questions, and also to check out the Few School app for more information.
Q & A
What is sickle cell anemia?
-Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder that affects red blood cells due to a mutation in the hemoglobin gene, causing them to assume a crescent or 'sickle' shape, which can lead to blockages in blood vessels and a lack of oxygen to tissues and organs.
What role does hemoglobin play in the body?
-Hemoglobin is a red protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
How do red blood cells normally function and what changes in sickle cell anemia?
-Normally, red blood cells are round and flexible, allowing them to move easily through narrow blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the mutation causes the cells to become inflexible and sickle-shaped, which can obstruct blood flow.
What is a sickle cell crisis?
-A sickle cell crisis is a painful episode caused by blockages in blood vessels due to the sickle-shaped red blood cells, preventing oxygen and glucose from reaching cells, and can last from minutes to weeks.
How can sickle cell anemia be inherited?
-Sickle cell anemia is inherited when an individual has two copies of the faulty, recessive allele. People with one copy are carriers and have a mix of normal and abnormal hemoglobin.
What is the significance of a Punnett square in understanding inheritance of sickle cell anemia?
-A Punnett square can be used to predict the possible genotypes of offspring when both parents are carriers of the sickle cell trait, showing the chances of having children with the disorder, as carriers, or unaffected.
How many people are affected by sickle cell anemia worldwide?
-Approximately 4.4 million people worldwide have sickle cell anemia, and an additional 43 million are carriers.
Why is sickle cell anemia more common in certain regions of the world?
-Sickle cell anemia is more common in regions such as Central Africa, parts of India, the Middle East, and among people of African origin in other parts of the world, which also have a high prevalence of malaria.
How does the sickle cell allele provide protection against malaria?
-The sickle cell allele offers protection against malaria by causing the red blood cells of carriers to be more fragile, often bursting when invaded by the malaria parasite, thus killing the parasite and interrupting its life cycle.
What is the relationship between the prevalence of sickle cell anemia and malaria?
-The prevalence of sickle cell anemia is higher in regions affected by malaria because the sickle cell allele, while causing the disorder, also provides a survival advantage against malaria, leading to a higher likelihood of the allele being passed on.
How can individuals learn more about sickle cell anemia and related topics?
-Individuals can learn more about sickle cell anemia and related topics through educational videos, subscribing to relevant channels, using educational apps like Few School, and asking questions in the comment sections of these platforms.
Outlines
🩸 Understanding Sickle Cell Anemia
This paragraph delves into sickle cell anemia, an inherited disorder that impacts the red blood cells' shape and function due to a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. It explains how normal red blood cells are round and flexible, allowing them to easily navigate the body's blood vessels. However, in sickle cell anemia, the mutated hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become crescent-shaped and inflexible, leading to potential blockages in blood vessels. These blockages can result in a painful condition known as a sickle cell crisis, which may last from minutes to weeks and can be life-threatening if it affects vital organs like the brain. The paragraph also covers the genetic inheritance of the disorder, noting that having two copies of the faulty allele is necessary for the disease to manifest, while one copy makes a person a carrier with slightly more fragile red blood cells.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sickle Cell Anemia
💡Inherited Disorder
💡Hemoglobin
💡Red Blood Cells
💡Crescent Shape
💡Blockages
💡Sickle Cell Crisis
💡Allele
💡Carriers
💡Punnett Square
💡Malaria
Highlights
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder affecting red blood cells.
It is passed from parent to child due to its inherited nature.
Red blood cells with hemoglobin carry oxygen throughout the body.
Normal red blood cells are round and flexible for easy movement in blood vessels.
People with sickle cell anemia have a mutation in the hemoglobin gene.
Faulty hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become inflexible and sickle-shaped.
Sickle-shaped red blood cells can cause blockages in blood vessels.
Blockages prevent oxygen and glucose delivery, leading to sickle cell crisis.
Sickle cell crisis symptoms can be severe and last from minutes to weeks.
Complications from blockages can be life-threatening, such as strokes.
To have sickle cell anemia, one must inherit two copies of the faulty allele.
Carriers have one copy of the recessive allele and red blood cells with 50% abnormal hemoglobin.
Carriers' red blood cells are slightly more fragile than normal.
Children of two carrier parents can be affected, carriers, or unaffected.
About 4.4 million people worldwide have sickle cell anemia, with 43 million carriers.
Sickle cell anemia is more common in regions also affected by malaria.
The sickle cell allele provides protection against malaria by causing red blood cells to burst.
Regions with higher malaria rates have increased numbers of sickle cell anemia sufferers.
The video explains sickle cell anemia, its inheritance, and geographical prevalence.
Transcripts
[Music]
sickle cell anemia is an inherited
disorder that affects the red blood
cells
because it is inherited it means that it
can be passed from parent to child
so what is it
red blood cells contain red protein
called hemoglobin which carries oxygen
around the body
normally red blood cells are round and
flexible which means they can bend to
move easily through the narrow blood
vessels
people with sickle cell anemia have a
change or mutation in the hemoglobin
gene
this faulty version of the gene causes
the hemoglobin to form strands in the
red blood cells which makes them
inflexible and gives them a crescent or
a sickle shape this is where the name of
the disorder comes from a sickle is a
tool used to cut long grass these
unusually shaped red blood vessels can
cause blockages in sections of the blood
vessels
red blood cells cannot pass through the
blockages to reach the cells in tissues
and organs so the cells cannot get
oxygen and glucose for respiration when
this happens it causes pain called a
sickle cell crisis
the symptoms of a crisis can be severe
and last from a few minutes to several
weeks
it can cause complications which can be
life-threatening
for example if a blockage occurs in the
blood vessels in the brain then brain
cells can die which causes a stroke so
how is sickle cell anemia inherited
well to have the disorder you have to
have two copies of the faulty allele
which is a recessive allele people who
have one copy of the recessive allele
are carriers the red blood cells of
carriers have 50 abnormal hemoglobin and
are slightly more fragile than normal if
these two sickle cell carrier parents
have offspring they can have children
with the disorder children who are also
carriers or children who are completely
unaffected
which we can show in a punnett square
there are about 4.4 million people in
the world who have sickle cell anemia
while an additional 43 million are
carriers
about 80 percent of people with sickle
cell anemia live in central africa it
also occurs relatively frequently in
parts of india the middle east and among
people of african origin living in other
parts of the world
these regions are also most affected by
the disease malaria
this is not a coincidence having the
sickle cell allele actually protects you
against malaria this means you are more
likely to survive childhood and pass on
the sickle cell allele to your children
this also means that the numbers
suffering from sickle cell anemia are
also higher in malaria regions because
if two carriers have children they have
an increased risk of having children
with the disorder but how does carrying
the sickle cell allele help protect
against malaria the malarial parasite is
transmitted by female mosquitoes which
spend part of its life cycle inside red
blood cells when these parasites enter
the fragile red blood cells of carriers
the cells often burst before the
parasite has time to develop
this means the parasite dies and the
life cycle is broken
so in this video you have learnt what
sickle cell anemia is how it is
inherited and why it is more common in
some areas of the world than others
if you liked the video give it a thumbs
up and don't forget to subscribe comment
below if you have any questions why not
check out our few school app as well
until next time
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