Step 1 : Introduction to the question "3. Which serious blood disorder is shared by musician Miles Davis, NFL players Ronde and Tiki Barber and actor Larenz Tate? "
...1. Sickle cell disease 2. T-cell disease 3. Fifth disease 4. Catch-scratch disease Sickle cell disease or Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that is most often found in people of African or Mediterranean descent. Red blood cells are usually round in shape but in this disorder the red blood cells take on a crescent shape which causes the cells to get stuck in small blood vessels. They also deliver less oxygen to the bodies organs. Painful episodes, referred to as crises, are experienced by the sufferer. Pain occurs in the chest, long bones, abdomen, and can be accompanied by excessive thirst, heart palpitations, ulcers and strokes. While some patients have serious episodes multiple times a year others will only have mild symptoms every couple of years. The disease is genetic and passed from parents to their children. If a person only gets one copy of this gene from one parent they are said to have sickle cell trait, if a person gets a copy from both parents they will have sickle cell disease. Treatment involves pain medications, folic acid supplements, and antibiotics. Severe cases may end up involving dialysis or kidney transplant, gallbladder removal, and bone marrow transplants. Life expectancy for a sufferer has tripled in the last 50 years.
