Epidemiological profile of sickle cell trait in blood collection units in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil: a narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Sickle cell trait is a condition caused by a mutation in hemoglobin, leading to the formation of a variant molecule, hemoglobin S (HbS). Its prevalence among blood donors in Brazil is higher in men and is present in 2.49% of the national population. Objective: To investigate the epidemiological profile of sickle cell trait in blood collection units in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, based on the scientific literature. Method: This is a narrative literature review. The searches were conducted in six databases, using the following Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS/MeSH): Sickle Cell Trait, Blood Donors and Brazil, applying the Boolean operator AND. Original qualitative and quantitative studies conducted in blood collection units, systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses, case studies, and technical notes published from 2014 to 2024 in English or Portuguese were included. Duplicate studies, course completion papers, master's dissertations and doctoral theses were excluded. Results: Ten articles were selected, of which two refer to studies conducted in the North Region and eight refer to studies in the Northeast Region. In the blood centers of the North Region, there is a prevalence of 1.3 to 1.41% of donors affected by the HbAS allele, with a predominance of black and mixed-race males, while in the Northeast Region there is a variable prevalence of 0.79% to 3.92% of carriers of the sickle cell trait, with a predominance of mixed-race or mixed-race men aged between 20 and 40 years. Conclusion: A similar epidemiological pattern was observed in the North and Northeast regions, with a predominance of male donors and of mixed-race individuals. In addition, there is a scarcity of studies on the sickle cell trait in these regions, highlighting the need for further research on this subject.