Is there a test for sickle cell disease or trait?
Yes. Readily available blood tests such as hemoglobin electrophoresis, can identify people who have either sickle cell trait or a form of the disease, as well as a number of other inherited hemoglobin abnormalities. There also is a prenatal test to determine whether the baby will have sickle cell disease, carry the trait, or be unaffected. In three out of four cases, if both parents carry the sickle cell gene, the prenatal test will reveal that the fetus will not have sickle cell disease.
