The family of a college football player has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against their boy's school. The defensive back collapsed during a workout in July 2009. He died later that night. The autopsy showed the cause of death as complications from an enlarged heart; sickle cell trait exertion was one of the contributing factors. The family believes his death was preventable, because the school knew he had the sickle cell trait.

A 14-year-old high school football player in the Pee Dee area of South Carolina died in August under similar circumstances. He had been at practice in 101-degree heat that triggered a fatal sickle cell crisis.

These are just two of the 18 high school and college athletes who have died from complications from sickle cell trait since 2000. It is one of the most common non-traumatic causes of death among football players.

Families and many in the medical community believe athletic departments aren't paying close enough attention to the students with the condition -- even after NCAA Division I schools began testing for it last year. In fact, the testing mandate was criticized by the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America as a potential tool to stigmatize and discriminate against those athletes.

The scientists who approved the testing have reservations, as well. The one test, they say, isn't enough. The NCAA should insist on follow-up tests and make practices safer for athletes. According to one activist, the screening question just isn't clear cut.

Sickle cell trait is not sickle cell anemia or sickle cell disease. We'll discuss the condition and the risks to athletes and others in our next post.

Source: Post & Courier, "While young black men die, debate continues on testing for sickle cell trait," Jeff Hartsell, Oct. 24, 2011