Who is affected by sickle cell disease

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Who is affected by sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder. More specifically, sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that to have the disease, a person must inherit an abnormal gene from both parents.

People whose ancestors were from Africa, India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy, Greece), and some Latin American countries are more likely to inherit the gene that can cause sickle cell disease. In the United States, the disease mainly affects African-Americans (1 in 650) and Latin Americans (1 in 1,000 to 1,400).¹ Of African-Americans, 8% carry the sickle cell trait.²

Some people inherit one sickle cell gene and one defective hemoglobin gene of another type. This results in similar sickle cell disorders ranging from mild to severe. As a group, these disorders occur as frequently as does sickle cell anemia in the U.S.

References

Citations

1. Minter KR, Gladwin MT (2001). Pulmonary complications of sickle cell anemia. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 164(11): 2016–2019.

2. Wang WC (2004). Sickle cell anemia and other sickling syndromes. In JP Greer et al., eds., Wintrobe's Clinical Hematology, 11th ed., pp. 1264–1311. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Credits

Last updated:	January 19, 2007
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Martin Steinberg, MD - Hematology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC