Sickle cell "nondisease". A potentially serious public health problem.

Mass sickle cell screening programs have been hastily instituted with little apparent regard for potential harmful effects. In an attempt to gauge the impact of the procedure, parents whose children were screened at a neighborhood health center were interviewed in their homes about their perceptions of the sickle cell trait as a health factor, concerns about socialization, the imposition of the sick role on the carrier, and impaired social functioning within the family and peer groups. The results indicate that much confusion exists about the significance of sickle cell trait among those who were tested. Sickle cell nondisease might emerge as a serious national public health problem among black children. The burden of proof that the procedure does more good than harm should rest on those who advocate continuation of mass sickle cell screening programs.