Hematologists Disagree With Sickle-Cell Testing as Prerequisite for Playing Sports
Ryan Clark of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, shown here in a file photo, had to sit out a playoff game in Denver because his sickle-cell trait can be exacerbated at high altitude.
The American Society of Hematology says it doesn’t think student athletes should have to be screened for sickle-cell trait in order to play their sport. Instead, the group says in a policy statement, schools should take steps to protect all athletes from exertion-related illness and death.
The physicians’ position contrasts with that of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which in 2010 instituted a controversial testing program for all incoming Division I athletes to identify those with the sickle-cell trait.
People with the trait have one abnormal copy of a certain gene; those with two copies have full-blown sickle-cell anemia. About 8% to 10% of African-Americans have sickle-cell trait, which is much more rare among Caucasians.
While people with sickle-cell trait usually have no medical problems, they can rarely experience muscle breakdown, generally “under extreme conditions such as severe dehydration and high-intensity physical activity,” ASH says.
After the preseason training death of a college football player with sickle-cell trait, and a subsequent lawsuit, the NCAA established the testing requirement for all Division I […]
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