Sickle Cell Anemia

Links updated, July 2015
A legacy fact sheet from NICHCY

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation’s special education law, defines 14 categories of disability under which a child may be found eligible for special education and related services. One of those categories is “Other Health Impairment,” or OHI, for short. Within OHI’s definition, numerous disabilities and medical conditions are explicitly named. Sickle Cell Anemia is one such.

This resource page accompanies a longer fact sheet on Other Health Impairment and provides a brief overview of sickle cell anemia and connections to additional information.

A Brief Look at Sickle Cell Anemia

Anemia, in general, is a condition where an individual’s blood has less than a normal number of red blood cells or the red blood cells themselves don’t have enough hemoglobin (which carries oxygen throughout the body).

Sickle cell anemia is one type of anemia where the hemoglobin is abnormal and the red blood cells often become shaped like the letter C, making them sickle-shaped (like a crescent). This shape, in turn, makes it difficult for the red blood cells to pass through small blood vessels, causing pain and damaging organs.

Literally millions of people worldwide are affected by sickle cell anemia. The disease is inherited and primarily affects people of African descent. Symptoms include:

chronic anemia
periodic episodes of pain (in the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen)

Diagnosing the disease involves a simple blood test to determine what type of hemoglobin a person has and if the red blood cells are, indeed, sickle-shaped. While there is no cure for sickle cell anemia, there are treatments for the disease’s symptoms and complications that may arise. Untreated, the disease can damage organs in the body, including the spleen, kidneys, and liver, so it’s important to seek treatment as early as possible.