Medical IDs for Sickle Cell Disease
Related Page: Sickle Cell Pilot Program
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a life-long condition that can cause life-threatening complications. But with the right care, people with SCD can live full lives and enjoy most of the activities that other people do.
Read below to learn how a medical ID can protect you and your loved ones.
The confidence to live with sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a life-long condition that can cause life-threatening complications. But with the right care, people with SCD can live full lives and enjoy most of the activities that other people do. Sickle cell disease has several types, and often presents differently from person to person. One of the hallmarks of sickle cell are painful episodes called sickle cell crises, which can be very severe and last up to a week.
Pain is the leading cause of emergencies for people living with sickle cell, resulting in ER visits and often hospitalization. If emergency personnel are not aware of your SCD, they may not understand the pain crisis or provide appropriate treatment for your pain.
That’s why MedicAlert is vital for those living with sickle cell disease – to communicate to others about your condition and help you get the right treatment in an emergency.
A MedicAlert ID will immediately signal to first responders that you have sickle cell, and with a MedicAlert protection plan, you can store your complete health records, contacts for your specialists, and treatment plans for sickle cell crises or other complications. MedicAlert is not just a sickle cell bracelet – it’s peace of mind for people living with sickle cell.
How MedicAlert protects people living with sickle cell disease
One thing you shouldn’t worry about is what could happen if there’s an emergency. MedicAlert’s protection plans offer benefits that extend beyond your physical ID, providing safety and peace of mind for people living with sickle cell disease.
Digital Health Profile
All your vital medical info - including your SCD pain plan - in one place, ready for any emergency.
24/7 Emergency Response
Our team provides first responders the information they need to provide you with fast, accurate care.
Emergency Contact Notification
In an emergency, we connect families so that you're never alone in a crisis.
Medical Providers List
Keep contact details for your hematologist and other specialists to easily share with those treating you.
Pair a medical ID for sickle cell disease with a MedicAlert Membership.
What is sickle cell disease (SCD)?
Sickle cell disease happens when hemoglobin — a protein found in blood cells — becomes defective, affecting the integrity of red blood cells.
Healthy red blood cells are smooth and round with a slightly indented center, like doughnuts without a hole. This allows them to move easily through blood vessels and carry oxygen throughout the body. But with SCD, red blood cells are shaped like a sickle or crescent moon.
With time, these abnormal red blood cells also become hard and more likely to get stuck in small blood vessels and clog blood flow. When this happens it slows or obstructs circulation and oxygen to other parts of the body. This can lead to severe pain, infections, organ damage, and stroke.
Sickle cells also have a significantly shorter lifespan than regular red blood cells. A healthy red blood cell with normal hemoglobin can live up to 120 days, whereas sickle cells only last 10 to 20 days. As a result, the body isn’t able to replace the lost cells fast enough, leading to a chronic shortage of red blood cells (anemia).
What is sickle cell trait, and how does it differ from SCD?
Sickle cell trait (SCT) is when someone inherits one sickle cell gene from one parent and a normal hemoglobin gene from the other. Unlike sickle cell disease (SCD), where both genes are affected, people with SCT typically don’t show any symptoms. However, they can still pass the sickle cell gene on to their children.
So what is the difference between sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease? The main distinction lies in genetics. Those with sickle cell disease inherit two copies of the abnormal gene, which causes the disease. People with sickle cell trait carry only one copy, typically without symptoms, but can pass the trait to their children.
Who is affected by sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is a rare genetic blood disorder affecting 100,000 people in the United States and 8 million people worldwide In the US it occurs in people of African descent and less commonly in those with Hispanic and Caribbean ancestry. Outside the US, the disease is also found among people of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and southern Asian descent.
“Sickle cell is an uncommon disease and many healthcare providers may not be aware of national and international guidelines regarding acute presentations.
A medical ID facilitates knowledge transfer and aids communications with emergency services.”
American Society of Hematology
How is sickle cell disease diagnosed?
In the United States, all states are required to test newborns, regardless of their ethnic background, for the sickle cell gene as part of routine screening. This is because early diagnosis can significantly reduce the risk for future complications.
Sickle cell disease can also be diagnosed before birth by taking a sample of the liquid in the mother’s womb (amniotic fluid) if one or both parents have sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait. In adults, a blood test can check for the defective hemoglobin that causes abnormally-shaped red blood cells.
How is sickle cell disease treated?
Treatment of sickle cell disease is usually aimed at reducing pain crises and preventing complications like organ damage and stroke. To date, the only known cures are stem cell transplantations and gene therapy. Both are complex, risky and expensive procedures with serious side effects, so they are usually limited to children with severe sickle cell disease.
Treatments that can help manage symptoms, prevent complications, and prolong life include:
- Pain relievers for acute or chronic pain
- Antibiotics to prevent or manage infections
- Childhood immunizations and annual flu shots
- Hydroxyurea, a medication that makes sickle cells less sticky
- Blood transfusions
- Drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and MedicAlert are joining forces to improve lives of those living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
MedicAlert is working with industry-leading experts to make a significant impact on the lives of those living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
We’ve partnered with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) on a pilot program to provide free ID cards and memberships for people with SCD.
When they visit an emergency department due to a sickle cell pain crisis, MedicAlert’s Smart ID Card provides instant access to the patient’s medical history, SCD pain plan, and hematologist contact.
The goal of the program is to help people with SCD get better, faster treatment for a pain crisis, improving emergency visit outcomes and enhancing their quality of life. Learn more here.
What are the symptoms and complications of sickle cell disease?
One of the hallmark symptoms of sickle cell disease is pain, which happens when oxygenated blood can’t get to different parts of the body. This is known as a pain crisis or sickle cell crisis and can occur anywhere in the body, including the arms, legs, joints, or back. These episodes of pain range from mild to excruciating and may last from a few hours to several weeks.
Other signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease include:
- Anemia: sickle cell depletes the body’s hemoglobin reserves, which causes anemia. Severe anemia causes fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and pale skin.
- Frequent infections: sickle cells can damage your spleen, an organ that acts as a blood filter. This can leave you more vulnerable to life-threatening infections, like pneumonia.
- Swelling: sickle cells can block blood flow to your limbs, causing swelling of the hands and/or feet.
- Jaundice or yellowing of the skin: people with sickle cell anemia tend to have pale or yellowish skin due to bilirubin buildups. The condition can also cause yellowing of the whites of the eyes (icterus).
- Vision problems: sickle cells can clog the tiny blood vessels that supply the eyes with blood, damaging the retina and leading to vision problems.
People living with sickle cell may also have a number of complications that require immediate medical intervention, such as:
- Blood clots
- Acute chest syndrome (a type of lung infection)
- Organ damage
- Blindness
- Leg ulcers
- Sepsis (severe response to infection)
- Stroke
- Gallstones
- Priapism (painful, long-lasting erections caused by blocked blood vessels in the penis)
- Pregnancy complications
Find your medical ID.
Engraving your MedicAlert ID for sickle cell disease:
MedicAlert offers free custom engraving on all our sickle cell disease bracelet and medical ID products. Engravings on medical IDs for sickle cell disease should include any critical medical information that can protect and save your life if you are in an accident or have a medical emergency, for example:
The best things to engrave on a medical bracelet for sickle cell include:
- Sickle cell disease
- Other medical conditions
- Medications
- Allergies
- Previous reactions to blood transfusions
- Any medical information that needs to be communicated to first responders
Sample engraving. Consult our team if you need help engraving your medical ID for sickle cell disease.
Living with sickle cell disease? Get peace of mind.
Pair your ID with a MedicAlert Membership.
Sickle cell disease is a life-long condition that can cause life-threatening complications, but it’s also possible to live a healthy life.
If you or your child has sickle cell disease, wearing a medical ID for sickle cell disease could save your life during an emergency. Sickle cell jewelry can alert first responders and healthcare providers of your condition in times of need. It provides all the necessary information to help them administer the correct treatment in situations when you’re unable to communicate your needs.
People with sickle cell disease should consider a QR code medical ID. With a QR code ID you can upload your physician approved pain plan, medications, emergency contacts, and hematologist contact details. By scanning the QR code, emergency providers have the necessary information to make informed decisions about your care – all backed by the credibility of MedicAlert.
We'll be your voice. If you can’t speak for yourself due to an accident or other medical emergency, your ID will speak for you – informing others about your sickle cell disease and any medications you’re taking.
We provide 24/7 emergency protection. Our team will relay your critical medical information to first responders in an emergency, no matter where or when it happens.
We keep you connected. You or a loved one should never have to be alone in an emergency. That’s why MedicAlert will reach out to your emergency contacts when needed if you are unable to do so.
We enable you to live with confidence. MedicAlert will be there for you every step of the way. You’ll have the confidence and freedom to live your life with sickle cell disease.