What is Sickle Cell Trait?
If you have sickle cell trait, you have inherited the gene for sickle cell disease. Sickle cell trait does not turn into sickle cell disease. If someone has sickle cell trait and his partner has sickle cell trait they may produce a child with sickle cell disease. There are about 2.5 million people in America with sickle cell trait.
A person who inherits the sickle cell gene from one parent and the normal type of that gene from the other parent is said to have sickle cell trait. One in 12 African-Americans in this country has sickle cell trait. Carriers of the sickle cell gene generally are as healthy as noncarriers. Sickle cell trait cannot change to become sickle cell disease. However, when two people with sickle cell trait have a child, their child may inherit two sickle cell genes and have the disorder.
