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Sickle cell disease — also called sickle cell anemia — is a group of inherited disorders that affect hemoglobin, the major protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. Normally, red blood cells are disc-shaped and flexible so they can move easily through the blood vessels. In sickle cell disease, red blood cells are misshaped, typically crescent- or “sickle”-shaped due to a gene mutation that affects the hemoglobin molecule. When red blood cells sickle, they do not bend or move easily and can block blood flow to the rest of the body.