More Information on Disease Associations with Sickle Cell Trait

A growing body of evidence has suggested previously unrecognized associations between sickle cell trait (SCT) and various medical conditions. In this study, researchers explored this topic using data from the UK Biobank — a repository of genetic and clinical information.

Among 8000 people who self-identified as Black in this database, 8.7% had genetically confirmed SCT. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and other genetic variables, Black participants who had SCT — compared with Black participants without SCT or sickle cell disease — had significantly higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, retinal disorders, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and rhabdomyolysis. Additional analyses suggested that diabetes was not a mediating factor for some of these associations; for example, SCT was associated significantly with hypertension and end-stage renal disease among people without diabetes.