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Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder. People are born with the disease because they inherit abnormal hemoglobin genes from both parents.
Learning how sickle cell disease is inherited can help you better understand your diagnosis, your family's health history and the difference between sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait.
Take Charge of Your Health
Talk to your primary care provider if you have symptoms that you think may be sickle cell disease. UW Medicine Primary Care can help you get started. Learn about Fred Hutch's relationship with UW Medicine.
Understanding Hemoglobin Genes
Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
If a person has sickle cell disease, it causes these red blood cells to become rigid and take on a crescent (sickle) shape. Sickled red blood cells can break apart more easily than healthy red blood cells and may block blood flow, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches tissues and organs.
The type of abnormal hemoglobin genes a person inherits determines the specific type of sickle cell disease they have.
How Sickle Cell Disease Is Inherited
Every person inherits one hemoglobin gene from each parent.
- If both are abnormal, a person is born with sickle cell disease.
- If only one is abnormal, the person has sickle cell trait, not sickle cell disease.
Although sickle cell trait is different from sickle cell disease, it can be passed from parent to child.
Family Planning and Genetic Counseling
Because sickle cell disease is inherited, understanding your family's health history may be helpful when planning to have biological children.
Your health care team can help answer questions about inheritance and discuss whether genetic counseling or testing may be appropriate for you or your family members.