Sickle cell disease affects millions of
people throughout the world and is particularly common
among those whose ancestors come from sub-Saharan
Africa, Spanish-speaking regions in the Western
Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central
America), Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean
countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy.
In the United States1
- More than 70,000 people have sickle cell disease.
- Sickle cell disease occurs in 1 in every 500
African American births.
- 2 million people have sickle cell trait.
- 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait.
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Did you know? Sickle cell disease occurs more often in
people from parts of the world where malaria
is or was common. It is believed that people
who carry the sickle cell trait are less
likely to catch malaria. |
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The Cost to Society2
- Sickle cell disease is a major public health
concern. From 1989 through 1993, there were an
average of 75,000 hospitalizations due to sickle
cell disease in the United States, costing
approximately $475 million.
1. National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute, National Institute of Health. Sickle cell
anemia: Who is at risk? Available at
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Sca/SCA_WhoIsAtRisk.html
Accessed November 3, 2006.
2.
Ashley-Koch, A., et al. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Sickle Hemoglobin (HbS) Allele and Sickle
Cell Disease. American Journal of Genetics. May 1,
2000. Accessed March 26, 2007.
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