Sickle Cell Disease, Embolisms, and the Silent Underreporting in Black Communities

Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects Black individuals, with about 1 in every 365 African American births in the U.S. having SCD. This disease causes sickle-shaped red blood cells that can block blood flow, leading to complications including blood clots (embolism), strokes, and organ damage.

Embolisms and blood clots are common complications of SCD, significantly contributing to mortality. Many Black patients dying from embolisms may have undiagnosed or underrecognized sickle cell disease.

Despite the high impact of SCD, the disease is greatly undertested and underreported as a cause of death. Official mentions of sickle cell on death certificates are very rare compared to the much higher number of deaths linked to complications caused by SCD. This leads to severe underestimation of the true mortality burden.

Social and healthcare disparities worsen outcomes for Black patients with SCD. Higher social vulnerability correlates with significantly elevated mortality rates from sickle cell disease.

For example, in the U.S., although many deaths each year are linked to SCD complications, official death records often mention sickle cell disease only a few times (e.g., just 3 mentions per year compared to thousands of relevant deaths), highlighting a huge gap in diagnosis and reporting.