WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – September marks the start of a month to raise awareness about the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S.: sickle cell disease.
It warps the shape of healthy red blood cells, which sometimes causes the restriction of blood and oxygen flow to the body.
UNC Health and Novant Health have teamed up to send specialists to see patients in Wilmington to help out people who would normally have to travel all the way to Chapel Hill for treatment.
About 100,000 people in the country have sickle cell disease, and more than 90 percent of people with the disease are Black.
Sickle cell tests are included in all newborn screenings, but if want you to double-check, all you need is a simple blood test.
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