Sickle Cell Anemia

To have the sickle cell disease, a person must inherit the gene from both parents. If you have only one gene, you have sickle cell trait, but will not get sickle cell disease.

The people shown to be at greatest risk are people with the following ancestry:

According to KidsHealth, sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder of the red blood cells characterized by abnormally shaped red cells.

This abnormality can result in painful episodes, serious infections, chronic anemia, and damage to body organs. These effects can, however, vary from person to person depending on the type of sickle cell disease the person has.