Sickle cell disease (SCD) is common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, affecting up to 3% of births in some parts of the continent. Nevertheless, it remains a low priority for many health ministries.
Why is sickle cell anemia most common in Africa?
How is sickle-cell disease different in the Middle East from in other parts of the world? The disease is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, where as many as 45% of people are carriers. It has become so widespread there because being a carrier offers a survival advantage against malaria.
What country has the most sickle cell disease?
Nearly 90 percent of the world's SCD population lives in three countries: Nigeria, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (figure 1), where the disease affects up to 2 percent of the population, and the carrier prevalence rate (sickle cell trait) is as high as 10 to 30 percent [3,4,9,10].
Does sickle cell anemia only affect African American?
Yes, they can. Sickle cell disease can affect people of ANY race or ethnicity. Sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder of the red blood cells, is more common in African Americans in the U.S. compared to other ethnicities—occurring in approximately 1 in 365 African Americans.
What race has sickle cell anemia?
Sickle cell trait, and therefore SCD, is found more often in certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, South Asians, Southern European Caucasians, and Middle Easterners. In the United States, about 1 in 350-400 African American babies have sickle cell disease.
Can Caucasians get sickle cell?
Sickle cell trait is an inherited blood disorder that affects 1 million to 3 million Americans and 8 to 10 percent of African Americans. Sickle cell trait can also affect Hispanics, South Asians, Caucasians from southern Europe, and people from Middle Eastern countries.
Which race is most affected by sickle cell anemia?
Sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that affects red blood cells, is found most often in African Americans and Hispanics, but can be found in other ethnic groups.
Can a white person get sickle cell anemia?
Sickle cell disease can occur in white people. While sickle cell disease is more common in African-Americans, it can affect people of any race or ethnicity. While sickle cell disease is more common in African-Americans compared to other ethnicities, it can affect people of any race or ethnicity.
What ethnicity is prone to sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell trait, and therefore SCD, is found more often in certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, South Asians, Southern European Caucasians, and Middle Easterners. In the United States, about 1 in 350-400 African American babies have sickle cell disease.
Why did sickle cell anemia originate in West Africa?
Scientists believe the sickle cell gene appeared and disappeared in the population several times, but became permanently established after a particularly vicious form of malaria jumped from animals to humans in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.