What Is Sickle Cell Trait?

I had to do some research on this one, because my curiosity was sparked!  :)  Sickle Cell Trait is genetically inherited by a child from one of the child's parents and seems to be similar to a recessive gene.  It is not the same as sickle cell disease and from what I've gathered, most folks with sickle cell trait are healthy people.  

The genetic implications of sickle cell trait seem to come later on, when a person with sickle cell trait decides to have children of his/her own.  There are some good examples of how the genetics of trait work at www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/index.phtml.   This site covers how folks with trait versus disease versus normal conditions affect the children they have together.  I hope you find it educational.  I found it very interesting!  :)

Sickle cell trait means that you are a carrier of the disease but you do not have the disease full blown, there are some things you need to be aware of if you have the trait, my granddaughter has the trait she gets cramping in her stomach and extremities (legs and arms) if she does not stay hydrated this is something that she has been suffering from in the past two years since she has become more active as a preschooler. We just have to make sure that she gets plenty of water regularly to keep her hydrated. She is healthy and the only issue that we will need to address with her is that she will need to be educated as she grows up that there is a one in four chance that she could have a child with full blown sickle cell disease if she has a child with a man that is sickle cell trait positive ( this means that if she were to have four children with a man with sickle cell trait positive that one in four of her children could get the actual disease).  It's just a matter of educating yourself and the child as they grow up.