Nine college football player deaths have been related to the genetic disorder since 2000
MACOMB, ILL. -- Nine college football players have died in the past ten years because of a genetic problem called the sickle cell trait.
They inherited the defective gene from one parent.
If the gene is inherited from both parents, the child will have sickle cell disease.
Carrying the trait alone usually does not cause health problems.
But with nine deaths in almost as many years related to the trait the NCAA decided to step in.
Just this month, it instituted a new rule to keep student athletes safe.
All Division I college athletes now have to get screened for the sickle cell trait.
For this KHQA Safe Family report, Jarod Wells went to Western Illinois Unviersity where Leatherneck athletes have been going through screenings for almost a month now.
Football players wear helmets and pads to protect their bones and muscles, but it's more difficult to protect what you can't see. And in hot weather like we've been seeing lately athletes with the sickle cell trait need the most protection.
WIU Medical Cheif of Staff Dr. Rick Iverson said, "This is a good time to know it if they have it, and both the athlete themselves and the athletic training staff and the coaching staff can take precautions so that they don't put the athletes in jeopardy."
It's not regular athletic activity that brings on problems from sickle cell trait. It's intense conditioning that causes a lack of oxygen, which in turn causes sickled red blood cells to react differently. Problems with sickle cell trait are rare, but when there is a problem, it could be life-threatening.
Iverson said, "We'd rather know about things ahead of time to anticipate and prepare for it if we possibly can, so from our standpoint, it's a good thing it's been instituted."
Athletes who carry the sickle cell trait can have a normal athletic career.
WIU Head Athletic Trainer Chad Cerullo said, "They'll be required to just go through some counseling on some family planning issues, just some more education in what sickle cell is and just talk about some physical activity and some exercise modifications that they'll have to do to prevent what they call a sickling collapse or a sickle cell episode."
With some changes to conditioning and workouts, health risks can be prevented.
Cerullo said, "If you can modify that for somebody with sickle cell trait, you can definitely prevent something serious from happening."
Most WIU athletes have looked at this new NCAA rule as simply another requirement of playing college sports.
A few have signed a waiver saying they know there is a risk, but have chosen not to be screened.
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