IS SICKLE CELL OVER 1003 YEARS OLD?!

Have you ever wondered where diseases originate from?

Why does disease arise and how do they come about?

How in the world did Sickle Cell Anaemia come about?

Sickle Cell Disease is a very old disease. It is older than you, me and the next two readers combined.  How do I know this you ask? Well, I connected the dots.   And as our good friend Steve Jobs put it, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”  So let’s go back in history.

The Discovery

In the annals of medical history, 1910 is regarded as the date of the discovery of Sickle Cell Disease, making 2010 the 100th anniversary of that discovery, but just what does it mean to say the disease was “discovered”? The disorder we call “Sickle Cell Disease” often abbreviated as SCD, had been present in Africa for at least five thousand years and has been known by many names in many tribal languages. What we call its “discovery” in 1910 occurred, not in Africa, but in the United States.

Enough about that, let’s go further back in time before 1910.

I’m sure we all know that Sickle Cell Disease comes about when two individuals with the Sickle Cell Trait/Gene come together; they pass down the gene and give birth to an individual with Sickle Cell Disease.  If this is new to you, go back and learn the basics HERE. The key word we need to note is Sickle Cell Trait. And since Sickle Cell Trait is the cause of Sickle Cell Disease, let’s look into the cause and origin of the Sickle Cell Trait.

Sickle cell trait occurred as a natural mutation of the haemoglobin gene. Sickle trait served and still serves as a protective mechanism against Malaria. Malaria is a deadly disease found in countries along the equator. People with Sickle Cell Trait are protected from Malaria while those with Sickle Cell Anaemia and normal haemoglobin are susceptible to it. Over the years people with Sickle Trait migrated to other continents to parts of the Middle East, Central India, and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, especially Italy and Greece.

So we now know the cause of the Sickle Cell Trait, Malaria resistance, what next? Yes, you got it; let’s have a look into the origins of Malaria.

King Tut's Golden Mask from Ancient Egypt

Malaria

The first evidence of malaria parasites was found in mosquitoes preserved in amber approximately 30 million years old. Human malaria likely originated in Africa and coevolved with its hosts, mosquitoes and non-human primates. About 10,000 years ago, Malaria started having a major impact on human survival, coinciding with the start of agriculture in the agricultural revolution. Consequences included natural selection for Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassaemias etc, because such blood disorders confer a selective advantage against Malaria infection (balancing selection). The major types of inherited genetic resistance (Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassaemias, etc) were present in the Mediterranean world by the time of the Roman Empire, about 2000 years ago.

To dilute it down, the information simply means that Sickle Cell Trait came about as a way to resist Malaria. Darwin's theory of 'survival of the fittest' is demonstrated well as individuals developed stronger genes to prevent from Malaria. The stronger gene is Sickle Cell Trait. However since there was no knowledge of this back then, people went about their business as usual. Intermarrying within gene families was not uncommon then which increased the chance of intermarriage between people who developed the Malaria resistant Sickle Trait, therefore bringing about Sickle Cell Disease.

King Tut of Egypt

Tutankhamun, is the world’s best known pharaoh. There are many speculations about the death of King Tutankhamun at the ripe age of 19 years. Why I bring this up is to show and demonstrate the age of Sickle Cell and how far back the disease had been existing.  Since the discovery of Tutankhamun's mummy, there has been a lot of speculation and theories on the exact cause of death, which until recent studies had been hard to prove with the evidence and data available.  One of the theories that caught my eye was one by Christian Timmann and Christian Meyer. They came to the conclusion that Tutankhamun did not die from a combination of bone disease and malaria, but instead had Sickle Cell Disease. Dr. Timmann and Dr. Meyer believed the Sickle Cell Disease turned fatal when Tutankhamun also contracted severe Malaria that was rampant in Ancient Egypt during his era. Tutankhamen's parents are thought to be related, boosting the chance that they both carried the Sickle Cell Gene. He is expected to have been homozygous recessive for the Sickle Cell Gene, thus making him not immune to severe malaria, which would have been fatal. So tell me, Is King Tut the oldest recently recorded Sickle Cell Warrior/patient?!

Wow isn't it all so surreal! The Sickle Cell Gene has survived millennial, centuries and decades of time up to this day and age. Sickle Cell Warriors such as myself can trace their gene back to the likes of King Tut.  Imagine a family tree that can be traced back in time to the beginning of ancient civilizations and evolution of mankind!

Coming back to the present moment, with the dots hopefully connected, do you feel you have a bit of understanding on the origins of Sickle Cell? I feel this brings everything into perspective and helps me understand why Sickle Cell Disease is. And not to mention the great need a couple thousand years and 115 years later, when humanity is still looking for sustainable solutions on Sickle Cell disease management.  

I say Knowledge is the Key! 

Love Life!

Lea