Basketball Player Killed by Blood Cell Disorder, Not by Gum

A coroner says a women's basketball player Shanice Clark found dead in her Pennsylvania dorm room in January died from a blood cell disorder, not from inhaling chewing gum, as police first believed.

Dr. Nina Anderson will give here thoughts on this article printed in the Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/basketball-player-killed-blood-cell-disorder-gum-29669819

- Dr. Nina

Student Basketball player died from complications of Sickle Cell Trait.  Sickle Cell Trait is an inheritance of a sickle gene and a non-sickled gene.  Sickle Cell Trait can be found in people whose ancestors come Africa, South or Central America, India, Saudi Arabia, Caribbean and Mediterranean countries.

Sickle Cell Trait affects about 1 in 12 African Americans and 1 in 100 Hispanics in the U.S. NCCA recommends all student college athletes to be aware of their Sickle Cell Trait status.  This allows for the athlete and the athletic department to be aware of simple precautions to prevent life-threatening complications with exercise & training.  Other complications associated with sickle cell trait are:  pulmonary embolism, kidney damage & cancer, spleen damage & higher rates of urinary tract infections in women.

All the Best, 

Dr. Nina

  

To find out more information, visit 

tovacares.blogspot.com


http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/sickle_trait.html