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Sickle Cell Trait: 5 Problems to Know About

Medically reviewed by: Corinna L. Schultz, MD

People with sickle cell trait can have health problems, but these don’t happen often. Know what to watch for and how to stay well. If a problem happens, get help as soon as possible.

What Health Problems Should I Watch for if I Have Sickle Cell Trait?

Call your doctor right away if you:

  • Have muscle cramps or weakness or feel exhausted or overheated with exercise. If muscles don’t get enough oxygen during intense exercise, there’s a small chance it can lead to other problems.
  • Get an eye injury. Eye injuries that cause bleeding in front of the pupil (called a hyphema) can lead to high eye pressure (glaucoma).
  • See blood in your pee. Blood in your pee might look pink, red, or brown. It’s usually not serious, but rarely can be a sign of kidney cancer, or renal medullary carcinoma (pronounced: REE-nul MEH-deh-lair-ee kar-sih-NOH-meh).
  • Have sudden pain on the left side of your belly or left shoulder. This could mean your spleen isn’t getting enough blood, a problem called splenic infarct (pronounced: SPLIN-ik IN-farkt).
  • Feel pain that you can’t explain.