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.
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