As one of many types of anemia, sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a genetic condition that results in the malformation of normally round, red blood cells into a banana or sickle-like shape. SCD can vary in symptoms, and in the frequency and severity of painful episodes called crises. Approximately 100,000 Americans have this form of anemia including about 4,000 in Virginia. (1) Over 7.7 million others worldwide have SCD (2), mostly in tropical Africa where this gene mutation originated as a protection against malaria that is frequently fatal in early childhood. Currently, an average of 75 infants are born with SCD in Virginia annually. The highest number of SCD births in the state are in Prince William and Fairfax counties, and Norfolk. The average life expectancy of a person in the U.S. with SCD is 49.3 years for men and 55 years for women. (3) To understand SCD, one must understand anemia in general, as well as how red blood cel...