Charity Spotlight: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America

Natasha Thomas, Project Associate for the Newborn Screening Program at Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA), joins Jerry Franz, host of the Health Matters at Work podcast series, to discuss how her organization works on behalf of adults and children with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells, is one of the few diseases that is regularly diagnosed at birth. Through mandatory genetic testing of infants born in the United States, sickle cell disease is identified early which allows for immediate treatment. However, since the testing for sickle cell disease began in the 1970s, there are some people born earlier who were never properly diagnosed. Sickle cell disease is most prominent in those of African, South American, Turkish, Middle Eastern and Indian descent, as well as those from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Symptoms of the disease include joint pain, jaundice, chest pain, paler than normal skin and fatigue.