Sickle Anemia

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Sickle Anemia
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Write a comprehensive medical report on Sickle Anemia. Be sure to include all relevant medical history, testing/diagnostics, treatment options, and recommended plan of action.
Relevant Medical History
Sickle anemia or Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a form of anemia inherited when both parents carry a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. In red blood cell disorder, the red blood cells are not healthy to carry oxygen and to facilitate blood flow. The red blood cells are misshapen in sickle shape, and they break down. Red blood cells’ structural and functional abnormalities make them prone to rupture and chronic hemolytic anemia, abnormal blood flow in target organs, and pain. 
Sickle Anemia-Testing/Diagnostics
A blood test diagnoses sickle cell anemia, making it possible to determine whether the body produces sickle hemoglobin (S) or if one has the sickle cell trait, that is if they are a carrier or have the disease. Thus, screening is necessary with a family history of sickle cell disease or showing symptoms or signs of sickle cell anemia. Due to the genetic component of this disease, diagnosis is also important to detect if there is the likelihood of children inheriting and early detection is essential. The neonatal screening test can be undertaken and includes selective screening aimed at high-risk infants, considering the prevalence of the disease based on ethnic origin. Assessing for the risk of the stroke where there is stroke-risk screening and stroke management is one of the priorities as it is necessary to evaluate the possible causes of stroke.
Hemoglobin S solubility test and sodium metabisulfite test are used screening infants at six months old or older but are not for newborn screening (Labtestsonline, 2021). While the tests detect Hemoglobin S, they do not differentiate between sickle cell disease and trait. Hemoglobinopathy (Hb) evaluations are various tests to determine the amount and presence of normal and abnormal hemoglobins. The Hb evaluation tests are Capillary zone, hemoglobin electrophoresis, hemoglobin fractionation by HPLC, isoelectric focusing, and mass spectrometry (Labtestsonline, 2021). In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) helps identify the type of hemoglobin present in sickle cell anemia or trait.
Genetic testing focuses on DNA analysis to identify whether there are gene mutations for the hemoglobin components. They also test whether an individual has one or two gene copies of the Hb S mutation or two mutations in hemoglobin genes, the Hb S and Hb C (Gibson & Rees, 2016). The genetic tests are for diagnosis and carrier testing.
Other tests also focus on the sickle cell trait or sickle cell anemia. One of the tests is the Complete blood count (CBC) that focuses on the number of RBCs, amount of hemoglobin levels, and the RBC size and shape (Labtestsonlin, 2021). The blood smear (peripheral smear or manual differential) is another test that helps identify the type and number of RBCs, where the sickle-shaped RBCs may be seen on the blood smear.
Iron studies are a useful test as anemia is associated with i...