Sickle cell trait

There are 6 papers on sickle cell trait in aging research: 5 observational studies in people, 1 in animals. The newest story, Nov 6, 2026: “Sickle cell trait showed no clear link to stroke in adults”.

Disease

6 papers study it1 more mentions it4 findings

MeSH

1 new paper in 30 daysSee all 7 papers on sickle cell trait

“After multivariable adjustment, SCT was not significantly associated with incident ischemic stroke”
Sickle Cell Trait and Incident Ischemic Stroke Risk: A Whole-Genome Sequencing Study in the All of Us Research ProgramNeurology. Genetics2026doi:10.1212/nxg.0000000000200449
  • Humans5
  • Animals1

Effects

1

Incident ischemic stroke

no changein humans1HR 1.06

1 study
  1. Sickle cell trait was not clearly linked with incident ischemic stroke in humans (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.89-1.25; p = 0.53).

    “After multivariable adjustment, SCT was not significantly associated with incident ischemic stroke”

    HumansHeterozygous HbAS versus homozygous reference HbAA, after adjustment for genetic ancestry and vascular risk factorsMean follow-up, 12.25 yearsn = 275,530

    Sickle cell trait showed no clear link to stroke in adults

    Neurology. Genetics

More on Incident ischemic stroke

Associations

3

DNA methylation

upin humans1

1 study
  1. Sickle cell trait is associated with DNA methylation in humans (103 CpGs and 119 DMRs).

    “We identified 103 differentially methylated CpGs and 119 differentially methylated regions associated with SCT.”

    Humanswhole blood

    Methylation profile of individuals with sickle cell trait

    Epigenetics

More on DNA methylation

Biological age

upin humans1

1 study
  1. Sickle cell trait is associated with biological age in more recent epigenetic clocks.

    “recent epigenetic clocks that incorporate clinical phenotypes or laboratory biomarkers related to adverse health outcomes are associated with accelerated aging among individuals with SCT”

    Humansin more recent epigenetic clockswhole blood

    Methylation profile of individuals with sickle cell trait

    Epigenetics

Cellular senescence

downin humans1

1 study
  1. Sickle cell trait is associated with cellular senescence in SCT-positive vs SCT-negative Black adults.

    “SCT was significantly associated with lower proportions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cell subsets that include senescent-like markers”

    Humansin SCT-positive vs SCT-negative Black adults

    Alterations of T Cell Subsets Associated with Sickle Cell Trait

    Blood and genomics discovery

More on Cellular senescence

Trial sponsors

Funding

1 grant since 2018

National Eye Institute$660K

Latest

Dec 2025: 0Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 1Mar 2026: 1Apr 2026: 1May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 0Jul 2026: 0Aug 2026: 0Sep 2026: 0Oct 2026: 0Nov 2026: 14 papers in 12 months
Neurology Genetics

Sickle cell trait showed no clear link to stroke in adults

After adjustment, adults with the trait had a relative hazard of 1.06 for strokes from blocked blood flow compared with adults without the variant.After adjustment, adults with the trait had a relative hazard of 1.06 for strokes from blocked blood flow compared with adults without the variant.

Cohort · 275,530 peopleSickle cell disease