article_snippet: Sickle cell trait means someone is carrying a gene for a serious condition called sickle cell disease, which can cause red blood cells to change Sickle cell trait shapes, potentially causing pain and infections.
article_snippet: If someone has sickle cell trait, sickle cell does not mean sickle cell have sickle cell disease.
article_snippet: Instead, sickle cell are a carrier of the trait and can pass a carrier of the trait on to sickle cell children.
article_snippet: If sickle cell were to have children with someone else carrying the trait, that child has a 25 per cent chance of being born with sickle cell disease.
article_snippet: People with sickle cell trait have red blood cells with abnormal hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs and returns carbon dioxide from tissues back to the lungs) but People with sickle cell trait have enough normal hemoglobin for red cells to successfully carry oxygen around the body.
article_snippet: While it is extremely rare for sickle cell trait to cause any complications, there can be problems in conditions of severe physical stress, including low oxygen conditions, severe dehydration, severe physical exercise or very high altitude.
article_snippet: Sickle cell trait, which is more commonly found in African-Americans than other races, is diagnosed with a simple blood test.
article_snippet: Couples planning to have children may want to find out if Couples planning to have children have the trait to see if Couples planning to have children kids might inherit sickle cell disease.