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 trait, Colleges and Black Folks

The website The colorlines.com has a great article on the issue of "The Danger of Testing for Sickle Cell." In the article written By Aisha De Avila-Shin, she talks about how Colleges are screening for the blood disorder, but will this be another round of discrimination?

It has been three years since Dale Lloyd, a Black student at Rice University, collapsed during a light football workout and was rushed to the hospital. The next morning, he was pronounced dead. According to doctors, Lloyd died because of complications due to having the sickle cell trait.

As part of settling the lawsuit with the family, the National Collegiate Athletic Association recommended this fall that colleges screen all athletes for sickle cell. However, people who know the racial history of sickle cell testing are raising red flags.In the 1970s, mandatory screening for the sickle cell trait occurred in the U.S. Army after four Black recruits died during basic training.

The deaths were attributed to the sickling of the cells, and the federal government decided to bar people who had the trait from certain military sections, including the Air Force. Because one in 12 Blacks in the U.S. carries the sickle cell trait, the policy had a disproportionate impact on this racial group.Nine years later, Stephen Pullens, a Black cadet, sued after being forced to resign from the Air Force Academy because he had the sickle cell trait.

Pullens had already shown that he could work at high altitudes, and he was a champion hurdler. Due to his lawsuit, the requirement to be screened was revoked.

Were those four deaths in basic training due to having the sickle cell trait, or was the sickling of the cells a manifestation that happened after their deaths? Read More HERE


The American Sickle Cell Blog asks: Is the article written By Aisha De Avila-Shin on point? Will colleges screening for the sickle cell trait be another round of discrimination? What do you think?

What should a national Sickle Cell Disease organization such as ASCDF to make sure discrimination does not happen?