Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that turns normal, round blood cells into misshaped cells that look like sickles or crescent moons. These sickled cells can get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow and causing severe pain as well as damage to organs, muscles, and bones. Sickle cell disease is inherited, passed from parent to child. Children with sickle cell disease have two defective genes, one from each parent. A child born with sickle cell trait inherited one defective gene from one parent, and a normal gene from the other parent. These children don't have sickle cell disease but are carriers of the defective gene and may pass it on to their children.
