Sickle cell trait: Overview
Sickle cell trait occurs when a person inherits a sickle cell gene from just one parent. People with sickle cell trait rarely have symptoms. But they can pass the sickle cell gene on to their children.
Testing positive for sickle cell trait doesn't mean that you need to have treatment or make changes in your activities. But in some cases, a person with sickle cell trait may have muscle pain or other serious health problems. These problems can happen under certain extreme conditions, such as intense exercise, overheating, or being at a high altitude.
If you exercise intensely or are a competitive athlete, there are things you can do to help prevent complications:
- Drink plenty of fluids. Do this especially during intense activities.
- Increase your level of performance gradually.
- Stop right away if you feel muscle pain, weakness, or fatigue, or are out of breath.
Sickle cell trait
Sickle cell trait occurs when a person inherits a sickle cell disease gene. People with sickle cell trait rarely have symptoms of sickle cell anemia or sickle cell disease. But they can pass the sickle cell gene to their children.
Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder. It causes the body to produce an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen. Normal hemoglobin is called hemoglobin A. People with sickle cell disease have only hemoglobin S. This turns normal, round red blood cells into abnormally curved (sickle) shapes. These curved blood cells aren't able to carry oxygen like normal red blood cells. And they are rigid and don't flow easily through blood vessels.
Normally, a person inherits two genes (one from each parent) that produce beta globin, a protein needed to produce normal hemoglobin (hemoglobin A). A person with sickle cell trait inherits one normal beta-globin gene (hemoglobin A) and one abnormal gene (hemoglobin S).
A person in whom both beta-globin genes are abnormal (they produce hemoglobin S) has sickle cell disease, which can cause serious problems. Both parents must have either the sickle cell trait or the disease itself for a child to have sickle cell disease.
How is sickle cell trait diagnosed?
A simple blood test can show whether you have sickle cell trait. During pregnancy, a woman can have a test to find out if the baby will have the condition. In the United States, most states test for sickle cell status at birth. Some colleges screen athletes for sickle cell trait.
What is sickle cell trait?
Sickle cell trait is a genetic problem that happens when someone inherits a sickle cell gene from one parent. Sickle cell trait isn't the same as sickle cell disease. People with the trait rarely have symptoms of sickle cell disease. But they are carriers and can pass the sickle cell gene to their children.
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