Black Americans With Sickle Cell Trait At Increased Risk Of Kidney Disease

African Americans with sickle cell trait - generally thought to be benign, unlike sickle cell disease - may still be at increased risk of kidney disease, a new study suggests. Based on data for more than 2,000 people, researchers found that about 19 percent of those with sickle cell trait had kidney disease, compared to about 14 percent of people without the trait. The study team calculates that sickle-cell trait raises the risk of kidney disease by nearly 60 percent. They reported their results in JAMA and during a presentation at Kidney Week in Philadelphia.