Hemoglobin is an important substance in the body. It is an iron-rich protein that helps transport oxygen around the body. A disease that results from problems with hemoglobin is sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease. It results in often debilitating chronic pain and fatigue. Its name comes from the fact that red blood cells, instead of being oval in shape, are curved like a sickle. There is no cure for sickle cell anemia, though bone marrow transplants can sometimes be used as a treatment to lessen the severity of symptoms.
The mechanism of this disease is much like the mechanism of neurological proteopathies. The sickle cells are rigid and stick to each other because of their structure. This results in blockages in blood flow which can cause pain, organ damage, and infection. This is much like the problems that arise in prion diseases such as Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, fatal familial insomnia, and kuru. Unlike Kuru, sickle cell anemia does not have an incubation period, nor does it result in death as quickly. But, the lifespans of people with sickle cell anemia are significantly shorter than individuals without sickle cell anemia. They live until their forties and fifties.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca
Sickle cell anemia sounds terrible and especially difficult considering there is no cure. Is it a genetic disease? I wonder what the likelihood of passing it on to your children would be. It would be a difficult decision to have children if you know there is a risk of passing on a disease.