How do I find out whether I have sickle cells or another haemoglobin gene?
A 10: A simple test that can be done even in a little-equipped laboratory, involving placing a drop of blood on a glass slide, is all that is necessary to detect the presence of sickle cells. This simple Sickle Test is based on the fact that red blood cells which contain Haemoglobin S, can be made to alter their shape from round to sickle shape by adding a reducing agent to the blood [like a 2% solution of sodium meta-bisulphite], or by depriving the blood of oxygen through covering it on the slide using a cover-slip sealed round with vaseline. This primitive Test is still useful in rural areas in some countries. A quick method used to detect sicklers before a general anaesthetic is through a Solubility Test, using molarity phosphate buffer. The colour change that is used to detect Haemoglobin S, and which is useful in unmasking Sickle Cell Anaemia (SS) does not distinguish another Sickle Cell Disease like the SC phenotype (S abnormal, C abnormal) from the Sickle Cell Trait (AS – A nor
