Genetic Factors Controlling Inflammatory Responses and Frequency of Transfusions

Sickle-cell anemia is a hereditary blood disease caused by a defective gene that produces an abnormal form of hemoglobin, the component of red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. The abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S, distorts red blood cells after they release oxygen in the tissues. These distorted cells are called sickled cells.