Sickle Cell Anemia
When it comes to assessing and treating sickle cell there is no other place in the world like the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Memorial Hospital. Led by James Eckman MD., pioneering Medical Director of the Sickle Cell Center, Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Hematology- Oncology; the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center is the world's first 24-hour comprehensive primary care clinic for patients with sickle cell syndromes.
 |
| Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center |
Audio slide show featuring Dr. James Eckman, Director of the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Memorial Hospital. |
Comprised of a multidisciplinary team the core mission of the clinic is to educate, provide preventative and comprehensive primary care while responding to sickle cell emergencies quickly and efficiently.
More than 70,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease according to the Centers for Disease Control. One in 500 African Americans has sickle cell disease. 1 in up to 1,400 Hispanic Americans has sickle cell disease. Two million people have the sickle cell trait. One in 12 African Americans has the sickle cell trait. Each year more than 1,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. Hemoglobin is the primary substance of the red blood cell which nourishes our bodies with oxygen from the air we breathe. Normal red blood cells contain hemoglobin A. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Normally, red blood cells live for about 120 days before new ones replace them - hemoglobin S cells only last about 16 days. Unlike healthy normal red blood cells which are soft and round, hemoglobin S become hardened "sickle" or crescent-shaped and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. These sickle-shaped cells often get stuck in blood vessels; blocking blood flow.This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease pain and organ damage.
Dr. Eckman is proud of the ground breaking work already accomplished in the 30 year history of the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady and is excited about its future - with one of the largest and loyal patient populations in the country the center has unlimited potential for doing clinical research. With greater knowledge and understanding Dr. Eckman hopes new research will help his team move one more step closer to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure for sickle cell disease.