How Is Sickle Cell Anemia Diagnosed?

Early diagnosis of sickle cell anemia is very important. Children who have the disease need prompt and proper treatment.

In the United States, all States mandate testing for sickle cell anemia as part of their newborn screening program.

The test uses blood from the same blood samples used for other routine newborn screening tests. It can show whether a newborn infant has sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait.

Test results are sent to your baby's primary care doctor. This is the doctor who you name on the papers you fill out at the hospital before giving birth. It's important to provide correct contact information to the hospital. This allows your baby's doctor to get the test results as quickly as possible.

If the test shows some sickle hemoglobin, a second blood test is done to confirm the diagnosis. The second test should be done as soon as possible and within the first month of life. If your baby needs a second test, the primary care doctor may send you to a hematologist. This is a doctor who specializes in blood diseases and disorders.

It's also possible for doctors to diagnose sickle cell anemia before birth. This is done using a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue taken from the placenta. (Amniotic fluid is the fluid in the sac surrounding a growing embryo. The placenta is the organ that attaches the umbilical cord to the mother's womb.)

This test can be done as early as the first few months of pregnancy. It looks for the sickle cell gene, rather than the hemoglobin that the gene makes.