One in two thousand people is diagnosed with hereditary spherocytosis. This rare blood disease is of Northern European origin. The prevalence of hereditary spherocytosis in people of other ethnic origins is not known (Government). This disease should be detected in early childhood, but in some rare cases it can go undetected for years or never be detected. Hereditary spherocytosis not only affects red blood cells but also the spleen. It only takes one abnormal gene for a child to have the disease for the rest of his life. The disease is a recurring cycle and this rare blood disorder is rare for minds that do not have the disease and for minds that have not studied the disease. Although there is no definitive cure, splenectomy will help maintain the disease. The million dollar question is, “What is hereditary spherocytosis and is there a cure?” Hereditary spherocytosis is a disorder in the membrane of a red blood cell that causes red blood cells to be shaped like spheres, rather than flat disks (Wint Carmella). When red blood cells begin to form, they are shaped like flat discs. Over time, as they pass through the spleen, pieces of the membrane are removed, causing the red blood cells to become round in shape, hence the term spherocytosis (Seattle Childrens). When red blood cells enter the spleen, the cells undergo hemolysis. Hemolysis in hereditary spherocytosis results from the interaction between an intact spleen and an intrinsic defect in membrane proteins (Medscape). The degradation of red blood cells is called hemolytic anemia (Wint Carmella). A normal red blood cell can live up to one hundred and twenty days. A red blood cell with the membrane defect can live ten to thirty days. When the child gives... in the center of the card... he is given that too. There is a possibility that the disease will be transmitted to the offspring of the infected person. Performing a splenectmomy will not cure the disease, but will only put it into remission. Works Cited Gonzales Gus. "Hereditary spherocytosis". http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/206107-panoramica. January 10, 2012. November 19, 2013 http://grh.nlm.nih.gov/condition/hereditary-spherocytosis/. Hereditary spherocytosis. November 18, 2013 http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-conditions/heart-blood-conditions/hereditary -spherocytosis-symptoms/. Hereditary spherocytosis. November 18, 2013 Tim Kenney. "http://www.patient,co.uk/health/hereditary-spherocytosis. htm#.21/02.12.November 14, 2013Wint Carmella. "Hereditary spherocytosis." http://www/healthline.com/health/congenital -spherocytic anemia 12, 2013