Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education
Scientific literature and patient education texts
Fact Sheet: Sickle Cell Trait
source: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
year: N/A
summary/abstract:It is possible for a person of any race or nationality to have sickle cell trait, but it is very common in African-Americans. About one (1) out of every 12 African-Americans has sickle cell trait. It also affects Hispanics, and people whose ancestors came from Africa, Latin America, Asia, India, and the Mediterranean region.
Sickle cell trait affects the red blood cells.
All red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body.
People with sickle cell trait have both normal hemoglobin A and abnormal hemoglobin S in their red blood cells.
People who do not have sickle cell trait or any other abnormal hemoglobin have red blood cells that contain only hemoglobin A.
People with sickle cell trait do not develop sickle cell disease.
People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S. Under certain conditions these red blood cells become
sickle-shaped (banana-shaped) and block circulation.
Related Content
-
Sickle Cell Summer Enrichment Camp: Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell AgencyPiedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell...
-
The spectrum of sickle hemoglobin-related nephropathy: from sickle cell disease to sickle traitRenal dysfunction is among the most comm...
-
Point-of-care screening for sickle cell disease in low-resource settings: A multi-center evaluation of HemoTypeSC, a...Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common, l...
-
Sickle Cell Disease Management & Complications: Sophie Lanzkron MD of Johns HopkinsStuck on sickle cell disease? We hammer ...
-
Dr. Freda Gives the 411 on Sickle Cell Diseasehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aMrRu7R...
-
IASCNAPA Sickle Cell Disease Conference: Treating the Whole PersonDate: April 14-15, 2021 Place: Online/V...
-
Cardinals’ Bruce Arians: WR John Brown carries sickle-cell traitA blood test Thursday revealed that Ariz...
To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.