Most Common FAQ’s

How common is Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell disease affects millions of people worldwide. It affects over 70,000 people in the U.S.

  • Is most common among people of African descent. 1 in every 12 African Americans has the trait. 1 in every 400 has sickle cell disease.
  • It also affects people from Spanish speaking regions (South and Central America, Cuba). 1 in every 100 Hispanics has the trait. 1 in every 1000 Hispanics has sickle cell disease.
  • It also affects people from another regions; India, Saudi Arabia and the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, Turkey).
Types of Sickle Cell Disease?

There are several types of sickle cell disease. The most common are:

  • Sickle Cell Anemia (SS)
  • Sickle C Disease (SC)
  • Sickle Beta-Plus Thalassemia (SB+)
  • Sickle Beta-Zero Thalassemia (SBO)
What is Sickle Cell Trait?

People with Sicle Cell trait inherit a normal hemoglobin gene (Hb A) from one parent, and a Sickle hemoglobin gene (Hb S) from the other parent. This results in hemoglobin AS or Sickle Cell trait. A person with Sickle Cell trait may also be called a Sickle Cell carrier.

Sickle Cell trait is not a disease. It does not turn into Sicle Cell Disease/Anemia. It is not contagious. People with Sickle Cell trait are not sick. They can lead normal lives and have minimal medical problems due to Sickle Cell trait. For a few people, painful episodes may occur if they fly in unpressurized planes at high altitudes. Some people with Sickle Cell trait may occasionally have blood in their urine. If these problems occur, a physician should be notified.

Counseling and education regarding the Sickle Cell trait are important because the sickle gene can be passed to any carrier's children.


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Conquering Sickle Cell Disease, one patient at a time.

Living With Sickle Cell

For thousands of Americans, living with sickle cell disease means a lifetime of painful episodes, blood transfusions and frequent trips to the hospital. These treatments can often cause complications that are just as bad or worse than the effects of the disease itself.

With good health care, many people who have sickle cell anemia can live productive lives. They also can have reasonably good health much of the time and live longer today than in the past. Many people who have sickle cell anemia now live into their forties or fifties, or longer.


If you have sickle cell anemia, it’s important to:

  • Adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle
  • Take steps to prevent and control complications
  • Learn ways to cope with pain


If you have a child or teen who has sickle cell anemia, you can take steps to learn about the disease and help your child manage it.


More About The Sickle Cell Association of Kentuckiana

The Sickle Cell Association of Kentuckiana, Inc. (SCAK) is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization that provides education, support, and advocacy for individuals with sickle cell disease and their families. SCAK is dedicated to increasing awareness of this disease and supporting endeavors that assure prompt and appropriate medical care. Our target audience, however, is not limited to those personally affected by sickle cell. Our mission encompasses educating the lay community as well as the medical community about the disease and resources available.

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Upcoming Events

Date/Time Event
Sat, Mar 17
12:00 PM		 SCAK Committee & Board Meeting
SCAK Office
Sat, Mar 17
1:00 PM		 Support Group Meeting
St Stephens Church
Sat, Apr 21
12:00 PM		 SCAK Committee & Board Meeting
SCAK Office