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Genomics Program Home > Sickle Cell Program > Indiana Sickle Cell Trait Fact Conditions Indiana Sickle Cell Trait Fact Conditions

Sickle Cell Trait

  • Red blood cells carry hemoglobin in oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. In some people, the normally round red blood   cell can change from a round to a sickle shape, and this is called Sickle Cell. An infant who is born with this tendency passed from only one parent has Sickle Cell Trait.
  • A person with Sickle Cell Trait does not have sickle cells in the blood stream and does not have a disease, and the trait rarely causes any medical problems. Blood cells in people with trait condition are normal, but the individual carries the hereditary trait.
  • Sickle Cell Trait does not develop into Sickle Cell Disease in a person. It is not contagious.
  • About one in twelve African Americans has Sickle Cell Trait. People other than African Americans can also have this trait condition. It is common in persons of Mediterranean, Asian, Caribbean, and South and Central American origin.
  • The main problem with Sickle Cell Trait is that children born from two people that both have the trait may have Sickle Cell Disease. It is inherited from one's parents, just like eye color or hair color. These children should always be tested and even if one child does not have Sickle Cell Disease, another one may. If both parents have Sickle Cell Trait, there is a 50% chance with each pregnancy that a child may be born with Sickle Cell Trait. If both parents have Trait, there is a 25% chance with each pregnancy that a child may be born with Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell Disease is a lifelong illness that includes serious health problems, so this is why knowing if you have Sickle Cell Trait is very important.

Thalassemia Trait

  • People who have Thalassemia are not able to make enough hemoglobin in their red blood cells.
  • The gene is most common in people from Greece, Italy, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Southeast Asia.
  • Having an Alpha and Beta Thalassemia traits is not the same as having the disease and will not develop into the disease.
  • Having a thalassemia trait may cause slight anemia, but there would be no major health problems as a result of having this trait.

Hemoglobin C Trait

  • In some people, the red blood cells look like a bull's eye which are called target cells. People who are born with this tendency have Hemoglobin C Trait.
  • If a person inherits this trait from both parents, the person has Hemoglobin C Disease, which may have no effect on the person's health. If a person inherits a Sickle Cell Trait from one parent, and a Hemoglobin C trait from the other paren, he or she had Sickle Cell-Hemoglobin C Disease, which is like a mild form of Sickle Cell Disease.

There are other trait conditions in addition to those listed above.
If your newborn has been identified as possibly having a trait condition, you are encouraged to take your baby back for a repeat test, and to contact the Sickle Cell Care Center for your county for further information.

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