Is Sickle Cell Trait a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease?

Individuals with sickle cell trait (SCT) were recently shown to be at higher risk for rhabdomyolysis than those without SCT (N Engl J Med 2016; 375:435), raising questions about whether they might be more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.

Now, investigators have conducted a longitudinal analysis of cardiovascular fitness and risk for hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in 1995 African-American patients (mean age, 24.3 years) who participated in the CARDIA study (J Clin Epidemiol 1988; 41:1105), of whom 6.8% had SCT.

During 20 years of graded exercise performance, the average annual change in cardiovascular fitness was similar in those with or without SCT, in terms of test duration, estimated metabolic equivalents, maximum heart…