The Link Between Malaria and Sickle Cell Anaemia?


Question:
It is commonly known that those suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia have an immunity to Malaria.

However, I haven't been able out why this link exists, beyond theorising.

So why is it people with Sickle Cell Anaemia are immune to Malaria?

Answers:
sickle cell anemia sufferers have a genetic chance in the cell wall structure which makes it harder for the parasites is malaria to penetrate. So, sickle cells people are not a good host for Malaria to multiply and can't cause red cell destruction and so-forth no hemolytic crisis. They still get the mosquito bites and maybe have some parasites in their blood stream but they won't multiply.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4587311.stm

This should explain it.
People who have Sickle Cell Anaemia have deformed red blood cells. Instead of the RBCs being biconcave disks they become circular. Malaria causes lysis of the RBCs. From the pathology of SCA I would think that the deformed RBCs are more stable and thus less likely to burst...


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