September Is Sickle Cell Awareness Month | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    Between 90,000 and 100,000 Americans are living with sickle cell disease today and approximately 125 infants are born with it every year in North Carolina - 25 of them in eastern North Carolina. September has been designated National Sickle Cell Awareness Month to increase awareness of their plight.

    "Normal red blood cells are soft and round and can squeeze through tiny blood vessels. They carry oxygen to all parts of the body through a substance called hemoglobin," said Dr. Beng Fuh, director of hematology and oncology for the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine.

    Fuh said sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that occurs predominantly in African-Americans. The red blood cells of people with the disease contain mostly abnormal hemoglobin, which causes their red blood cells to stiffen, bend into the shape of a sickle – a curved tool once used to harvest wheat – and sometimes block small blood vessels. Complications include anemia, tissue and organ damage, strokes and excruciating pain.

    Because blood transfusions are one of the main treatments for these complications, ECU's Sickle Cell Awareness Committee has partnered with the local American Red Cross to encourage eligible donors to give blood in September to help ensure a stable and diverse blood supply for people living with this disease.

    ECU's sickle cell disease program is one of the largest in the state with approximately 900 adult and pediatric patients.