Diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease

Early diagnosis is very important considering that the blood vessels could be blocked. Treatment should be started as soon as detected. Newborns with sickle cell normally find out when the routine blood tests are done shortly after birth. If the blood test is not done, symptoms usually show up within the first four months of life. If the first test shows sickle hemoglobin, another test is done to confirm the disease. A test could also be done before birth by taking tissue from the placenta or amniotic fluid.^[1]

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Ally Gatmaitan and Alex Schwent