On World Blood Donor Day, here's why a steady, well-matched blood supply is one of the most powerful tools in sickle cell care — and how you can help.
Sickle cell trait is not a mild form of sickle cell disease. Here is what it actually is — and what it means for you and your family.
Sickle cell is older than most of us realize and newer than some of us know. Here are five facts that should anchor every conversation.
Sickle cell trait is not a reason to sit out. It is a reason to train smarter. Here is the playbook for athletes.
Most people with SCT live normal lives. But if you're going up — flying, hiking, training at altitude — there's one rare complication worth understanding.
About 1 in 12 Black athletes carries sickle cell trait. Here is how coaches keep them safe — without keeping them on the bench.
If you are the medical eye on the sideline, here is the SCT playbook — pre-season, in-season, and in the moment.
The NCAA mandates SCT screening for Division I athletes. A federal advisory committee disagreed in a 2010 letter to HHS. The reasons matter — and still do today.
A single blood test answers a question most people never ask — and the answer can shape your whole family's future.
There is more than one way for sickle cell to enter a family tree. Three short family stories make the math make sense.
Sleep, breathing, and SCD are tied together more tightly than most patients realize. Here is your lung-health checklist.
Chronic SCD pain doesn't respond to the same playbook as acute pain. Here is the bigger toolbox — and how to use it without losing yourself in it.
If you have sickle cell trait and your doctor manages your diabetes (or screens you for it) using an A1C, this matters.
If your patient has SCT, the A1C method on your lab's machine matters. Here is how to keep your diabetes management honest.
Medicine is only as good as the habits around it. Three simple practices keep your SCD treatment plan working for you, not against you.
An eye injury is always serious. With sickle cell trait, it is an emergency. Here is what to do, and what to insist on.
If you have sickle cell trait, you can donate blood. You can register as an organ donor. Here is the truth that the misinformation has been hiding.
If you've had — or are about to have — a blood transfusion, these five steps protect you in the chair and for years afterward.
A pain crisis isn't the time to figure out the plan. Here is how to be ready before the pain hits.
If your provider just put you on a blood thinner, you have questions. Here are the answers — written for the kitchen table, not the medical journal.
Your kidneys do silent, essential work. With SCD, they work harder. Here is how to keep them protected — starting with one annual urine test.
Sometimes blood in the urine is harmless. Sometimes it isn't. With sickle cell trait, you don't get to guess.
Blood in the urine of a patient with SCT is not a 'finding to attribute' — it is a finding to investigate. Here is the rule.
Splenic infarct is rare in SCT — but when an athlete or traveler returns from altitude with persistent left upper-quadrant pain, you need this on your differential.
Sickle cell disease raises your clot risk above the general population. Here are the warning signs and the modifiable risk factors.
A hyphema in a patient with SCT is a sight-threatening emergency. Here is what every ED, primary care, and sports-medicine clinician must know.