Sickle Cell disease is a genetic disease affecting the body’s red blood cells.

The expected shape of a typical red blood cell is biconcave and carries oxygen around the body. In a person with sickle cell disease, the red blood cell has a sickled shape, substantially reducing the amount of oxygen held, diminishing the cell life span, and clogging the patient’s vessels.

It is possible to manage the symptoms associated with the disease, but some patients need urgent care to address a sickle cell crisis. When controlling symptoms is not possible from home or when specialist help is unavailable, visits to the emergency department are typical. Acutely ill patients may need a blood transfusion that can save their lives in addition to pain relief. For this to happen, blood must be readily available and match the patient’s blood type.

Additionally, African, Hispanic Americans, Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean ethnic groups are more likely to suffer from blood conditions broadly called haemoglobinopathies and depend on regular transfusions. In the UK alone, 15,000 people need treatment for this disease, and the #DearSickleCell NSHBT campaign urges people from black African and Caribbean ethnicities to donate blood. Globally, the problem is even more concerning, considering 300,000 children are born with sickle cell disease yearly.

For this reason, the demand for blood is ongoing, and a constant supply is crucial.

Raising public awareness that blood is part of patient care and can potentially save someone’s life is crucial so that health care professionals can produce the best care plan for each patient. In the UK, the blood shortage is ongoing, and my obligation as a student and an NHS worker is to help this vital cause.

This blog post is part of a series dedicated to exploring sickle cell disease and the need for blood transfusions as part of the treatment plan associated with this condition.

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