Sickle Cell Disease: Inheritance & Parental Roles - What You Need to Know

Sickle cell disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, which means both parents must carry the sickle cell gene for a child to have the disorder. If both parents are carriers, each pregnancy has a 25% chance of resulting in a child with sickle cell disease, a 50% chance of resulting in a carrier, and a 25% chance of resulting in a child who does not carry the sickle cell gene.