The Incredible Biology of Sickle Cell

Chronic fatigue and weakness. Dizziness. Swollen limbs. Sudden, excruciating pain in the chest, back, legs, and arms. Uncontrollable, painful erections or priapism. Tissue necrosis. Organ damage. Increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Death at a young age from stroke, heart attack, or organ failure. These are but a few of the awful symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease, also known as Sickle Cell Anaemia. Resulting from a defective gene that causes sufferers’ blood cells to collapse into a distinctive crescent shape, this inherited disorder afflicts nearly 8 million people worldwide and kills over 34,000 every year, with most sufferers hailing from - or tracing their ancestry to - tropical regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, Sickle-Cell Anaemia is often seen as a predominantly “Black disease”, tragically affecting access to care for millions of sufferers. But while this affliction causes untold suffering worldwide, condemning millions to a lifetime of pain - and, in many cases, an early grave - there is a silver lining: an unexpected evolutionary advantage that has allowed Sickle Cell Anaemia to persist for thousands of years. Join us as we take a deep dive into one of the world’s most fascinating yet overlooked diseases.