Black athletes who have the sickle cell trait face significantly greater risks of suffering sudden cardiac death, new research shows.
While past studies have hinted at the connection between the sickle cell and SCD among young, athletic African-American males, the new study confirms this risk for those who engage in competitive sports.
The new research is based on an analysis of 32 years’ worth of health information maintained by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation – known as the U.S. Sudden Death in Athletes Registry. Researchers tracked data in the registry to determine sickle cell trait-related deaths in competitive athletes going back to the 1980s.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, indicate there is "convincing evidence of a causal relationship between the sickle cell trait and the deaths of young, black competitive athletes, especially football players," said lead researcher Dr. Barry J. Maron.
Sickle cell trait affects 8 percent of the population, researchers noted.

The researchers concluded that the sickle cell trait "can be associated with largely unpredictable sudden collapse and death and apparent predilection for African American college football players during conditioning. Understanding the risks, mechanisms, and event triggers of the sickle cell trait may allow lifesaving alterations in training methods to be implemented."