Twila S. Russell
Virginia College
NUR 2320
Professor Deandrala Huffman
October 24, 2016
Sickle Cell Trait According to the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disorders, “Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) affects 1 in 12 Blacks or African Americans in the United States and about 1 out of every 100 Latinos has sickle cell trait.” (CDC.gov). SCT occurs when a person inherits a gene for sickle beta globin from one parent and a gene for normal beta-globin from the other parent. This means the person won’t have sickle cell disease, but will be a trait “carrier” and can pass it on to their children (CDC.gov). Anyone can have sickle cell trait, but it is most common in people whose family origin is Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British. It also occurs in people who originate from the Middle East, India and Eastern Mediterranean areas. (CDC). In other populations, sickle cell trait is unusual but can occur. The most important thing to know about having SCT is that you could have a baby with SCD if your partner also has an abnormal hemoglobin gene. More research is needed to find out why some people with SCT have …show more content…
Sickle cell trait means that you are a carrier of a gene for a serious condition called sickle cell disease (SCD). Majority of the people with sickle cell trait are healthy, and will usually are made aware of their trait if they are tested for it. Pregnant women and couples planning children may want to know whether they have sickle cell trait, because if both parents have it, their child might inherit SCD. Sickle cell trait means having one gene for a condition called sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle cell trait is not considered to be an actual disease. For most people with the trait, it does not cause any problems, and they typically live rather normal lives. It is extremely rare for it to cause problems or complications, which mainly occur under conditions of severe physical