Is Sickle Cell sexually contagious?
Asked by
jjosephs (
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August 16th, 2009
Or contagious by ANY means?
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6 Answers
No, it is an inherited syndrome, that may have served the evolutionary purpose of offering some protection from malaria with the recessive allele, so people whose heritage is from the malarial regions may carry the gene.
It’s genetic, not viral.
“Sickle cell anemia is one of the most common, inherited single gene disorders in African-Americans. About one in 500 African-American babies is born with SC, and about one in 12 African-American people carries the gene for SC. Sickle cell disease involves the red blood cells, or hemoglobin, and their ability to carry oxygen. Normal hemoglobin cells are smooth, round, and flexible, like the letter “O,” so they can move through the vessels in our bodies easily. Sickle cell hemoglobin cells are stiff and sticky, and form into the shape of a sickle, or the letter “C” when they lose their oxygen. These sickle cells tend to cluster together and cannot easily move through the blood vessels. The cluster causes a blockage and stops the movement of healthy, normal oxygen carrying blood. This blockage is what causes the painful and damaging complications of sickle cell disease.”
Source: University of Virginia
If you weren’t born with the genes for sickle cell, you won’t ever get it. It is most common in folks of African ancestry, but is also found in people who are descended from people living in areas where Malaria is common.
As this site says:
“Sickle cell anemia affects millions of people worldwide. It’s most common in people whose families come from Africa, South or Central America (especially Panama), Caribbean islands, Mediterranean countries (such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy), India, and Saudi Arabia.
In the United States, sickle cell anemia affects about 70,000 people. It mainly affects African Americans. The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 500 African American births. Sickle cell anemia also affects Hispanic Americans. The disease occurs in 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic American births.
About 2 million Americans have sickle cell trait. The condition occurs in about 1 in 12 African Americans.”
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