Sickle Cell Trait and Stroke

Is there a correlation between sickle cell trait, a gene inherited from one parent (or SCT), and incidence of ischemic stroke among African-Americans?

A meta-analysis of four studies with over 19,000 African-American participants found that after adjusting for stroke risk factors, SCT was not independently associated with ischemic stroke.

The take home message: A thorough clinical evaluation is needed in stroke patients with SCT trait rather than making the assumption that SCT was the cause.

Reference

1. Hyacinth HI, Carty CL, Seals SR, et al. Association of Sickle Cell Trait With Ischemic Stroke Among African Americans: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Neurol. 2018;75:802-807.