A hereditary anemia with abnormal hemoglobin where red blood cells become sickle-shaped is known as?

A hereditary anemia with abnormal hemoglobin where red blood cells become sickle-shaped is known as?

• A. Thalassemia
• B. Aplastic anemia
• C. Sickle cell anemia
• D. Iron-deficiency anemia

Answer: (C)

This item tests recognizing a hereditary anemia caused by an abnormal hemoglobin that makes red blood cells sickle-shaped. Sickle cell anemia results from a mutation in the beta-globin gene that produces hemoglobin S (HbS). When oxygen levels drop, HbS polymerizes, causing red blood cells to become stiff and crescent-shaped. These misshapen cells have a shorter lifespan and can block small vessels, leading to pain and organ damage. It’s inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, so two carrier parents can have a child with the disease, while carriers may just have the trait. The other conditions describe different problems: thalassemia involves defective production of one globin chain and often presents with microcytic anemia; aplastic anemia is bone marrow failure with reduced production of all blood cells; iron-deficiency anemia arises from lack of iron and typically features small, pale red cells rather than sickle-shaped ones.

This item tests recognizing a hereditary anemia caused by an abnormal hemoglobin that makes red blood cells sickle-shaped. Sickle cell anemia results from a mutation in the beta-globin gene that produces hemoglobin S (HbS). When oxygen levels drop, HbS polymerizes, causing red blood cells to become stiff and crescent-shaped. These misshapen cells have a shorter lifespan and can block small vessels, leading to pain and organ damage. It’s inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, so two carrier parents can have a child with the disease, while carriers may just have the trait.

The other conditions describe different problems: thalassemia involves defective production of one globin chain and often presents with microcytic anemia; aplastic anemia is bone marrow failure with reduced production of all blood cells; iron-deficiency anemia arises from lack of iron and typically features small, pale red cells rather than sickle-shaped ones.