Who Is Affected by Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder. More specifically, sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that to have the disease, a person must inherit an abnormal gene from both parents.

People whose ancestors were from Africa, India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy, Greece), and some Latin American countries are more likely to inherit the gene that can cause sickle cell disease. In the United States, about 2,000 children are born each year with sickle cell disease.¹

Some people inherit one sickle cell gene and one other defective hemoglobin gene. This results in similar sickle cell disorders ranging from mild to severe.