Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a term to describe a group of inherited disorders of the red blood cell, is among the most prevalent genetic diseases in the United States (U.S.). While most common among blacks or African-Americans in the U.S., individuals with heritage from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); the Middle East; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy; may also be affected.   According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every 365 African-American babies in the U.S. is born with SCD; and worldwide, approximately 300,000 babies are born with SCD each year. 

The exact number of persons in the U.S. living with SCD is still unknown, it is estimated that:

• SCD affects approximately 100,000 Americans.
• SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 365 Black or African-American births.
• SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births.
• About 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT)