Sickle Cell Trait: Athletes with Sickle Cell Trait Need to be Cautious, Says Dr.

As reported in the Norwich Bulletin by Dr. Anthony Alessi, African-Americans, who have the sickle cell trait must be cautious about competing at high altitudes. Sickl

Dr. Alessi writes, "Two years ago, Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly died after playing in Denver. He required emergency surgery to remove his spleen and gall bladder. Ryan, along with one in 12 African-Americans, has the sickle cell trait and must be cautious about competing at high altitudes."

The Dr, notes, Sickle cell disease affects the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. It is an evolutionary adaptation that provides resistance to malaria and is found in people who come from areas where malaria is endemic like Africa, the Middle East, South America as well as the Mediterranean, Caribbean and other areas. The decreased oxygen-carrying ability of hemoglobin results in damage to a variety of organs including the brain, lungs and spleen.

Sickle cell disease differs from the sickle cell trait. The trait is found in those who have both a normal and a sickle component to hemoglobin. During intense exertion, dehydration or conditions that decrease oxygen, red blood cells change their shape and clog blood vessels throughout the body.

The condition can also result in a potentially lethal breakdown of muscle known as acute exertional rhabdomyolysis. Read More of the article HERE

Sickle Cell - Testing Athletes for Sickle Cell Trait - News from Oklahoma

As reported by news Ok.com testing for the sickle cell trait is inexpensive, easy and potentially life-saving. Still, some NCAA schools don’t do it.

The folks at News Ok.com are also report that Oklahoma is the leader in sickle cell testing. In 2007, Dr. Randy Eichner, then the team’s internist, and head athletic trainer Scott Anderson co-authored a consensus statement for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association on how to reduce the risk of sickle cell-related deaths.

Testing was at the top of the list.

"It’s just crazy to me that not all schools test,” said former Sooner linebacker Curtis Lofton, who discovered he had sickle cell only after being tested when he arrived at OU. "The test, it’s really not an expensive test to do on your athletes that bring in so much money to a school.”

The initial screening costs about $10 an athlete. If that test is positive, there is a $30 test to confirm the findings.

Research obtained by CBSSports.com earlier this year indicated that complications from the sickle cell trait have become the leading cause of death among NCAA football players this decade.

One of the biggest issues in dealing with players who have sickle cell is that a sickling episode may look like it’s heat-related, especially since intense and prolonged physical activity can cause them. Knowing that a player has the sickle cell trait is the best way to avoid a problem.

Read more: here

Welcome to the American Sickle Cell Disease Foundation, Inc.

Welcome to the American Sickle Cell Disease Foundation, Inc. - Blog.

We are a national non-profit organization designed to help develop new, progressive and effective ways of bringing a consistent national voice to the issue of Sickle Cell Disease. The Sickle Cell community will now be heard in the national health care debate.

We plan to address the years of national neglect, misinformation, failed approaches and lack of national attention to the issue of Sickle Cell Disease in America. We hope you enjoy blogging with us. We plan to talk about about all sorts of issues related to sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease and the challenges of the disease. We also want to be able to talk about the great things people are doing around the country to address sickle cell disease. There are a lot of great stories to be told, we hope you will enjoy this blog.

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