Is Sickle Cell Trait The Same as Sickle Cell Disease?
No. A person who inherits the sickle cell gene from one parent and normal gene from the other parent is said to have sickle cell trait. One in 12 African-Americans have sickle cell trait. They are as healthy as normal people, rarely having any health problems related to the trait. Sickle cell trait cannot change to become sickle cell disease. However, when two people with sickle cell trait have a child, they have a 1 of 4 chance of having a child with sickle cell anemia.
