Sickle cell trait may not boost risk of stroke for African Americans
A study published in JAMA Neurology suggests that African Americans with the sickle cell trait may not necessarily be at enhanced risk of ischemic stroke, despite the increase in stroke risk documented in individuals of African ancestry. Corresponding and first author Hyacinth Hyacinth, a pediatric researcher at Emory University's Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, and his colleagues, comment.
In this meta-analysis, we did not observe an association between SCT and an increased risk of stroke in African Americans. Future studies with large numbers of African Americans, longer follow-up, and carefully subtyped ischemic stroke events are needed to further elucidate the possible association of SCT with incident ischemic stroke overall and by specific ischemic stroke subtypes.