Signs and symptoms
... People with sickle cell trait have one gene for the disease. They don''t develop the disease and usually have no signs and symptoms. Approximately one in 12 black Americans has sickle cell trait. Peop...

Causes
... Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mistake in the gene that tells your body to make hemoglobin — the red, iron-rich protein that gives blood its red color. Hemoglobin is a component of every red ...

Risk factors
... The risk of inheriting sickle cell anemia really comes down to genetics. For a baby to be born with sickle cell anemia, both parents have to carry the sickle cell gene. The gene is particularly common...

Screening and diagnosis
... A blood test can check for hemoglobin S — the defective form of hemoglobin that underlies sickle cell anemia. In most states in the United States, this blood test is part of routine newborn scre...