Considered an African American disease, sickle cell is a recessive disorder that causes a mutation in a blood protein that changes the shape of the body's hemoglobin cells. Affecting approximately 1 out of 375 African American children, sickle cell blocks blood vessels and potentially damages the spleen, lung, and heart. In severe cases, it can cause a heart attack or stroke. A product of the Dolan DNA Learning Center, this site not only provides information on the disease itself but also reveals how the disease is caused, inherited, diagnosed, and treated. Also provided is a glossary of terms related to this inherited disease. For more information about this debilitating and devastatingly painful disease, users should visit this site.