These findings suggest that common α- and β-globin variants interact to influence hematologic and clinical phenotypes in African Americans, with potential implications for risk-stratification and counseling of individuals with SCD and SCT.
These findings enhance understanding of the reproductive experiences in people with SCD and SCT and provide the groundwork for developing an educational intervention focused on making informed decisions about becoming a parent.
The situation with SCT is different; there will continue to be the identification of parents who have the potential for having a child with a sickle cell disease but because they will not be tested or counseled, there will continue to be a population of children with a sickle cell disease whose parents have not been enabled to make informed decisions that they believe are in their best interest relative to family planning.