Long I D
Aviat Space Environ Med. 1982 Oct;53(10):1021-9.
Sickle cell trait is a benign genetic abnormality which has been wrongly projected as a health hazard in aviation. Conflicting reports on the relationship between this trait and flying exist in the literature. Limitations placed on sickle trait individuals unfairly stigmatize large numbers of people, both socially and economically. The imprecise identification of the sickle hemoglobinopathies and unrecognized interactions of other abnormal hemoglobins with hemoglobin S have perpetuated the controversy. There is a tendency to use isolated anecdotal incidents as evidence of increased morbidity in sickle cell trait; however, it has not been documented that hypoxic conditions cause in vivo sickling in pure trait carriers. An analysis of the definitions of the hemoglobinopathies, the molecular basis of hemoglobin S, the interactions of abnormal hemoglobins, and the sickling phenomenon shows both that there is no evidence that the sickle trait is a health hazard and that most of the literature contrary to this finding is invalid.
镰状细胞性状是一种良性遗传异常，却在航空领域被错误地认为是一种健康危害。关于这种性状与飞行之间关系的相互矛盾的报道在文献中存在。对镰状细胞性状个体的限制在社会和经济层面上对大量人群造成了不公平的污名化。镰状血红蛋白病的不精确识别以及其他异常血红蛋白与血红蛋白S未被认识到的相互作用使得争议持续存在。人们倾向于将孤立的轶事性事件用作镰状细胞性状发病率增加的证据；然而，尚无文献记载低氧条件会导致纯性状携带者体内出现镰状化。对血红蛋白病的定义、血红蛋白S的分子基础、异常血红蛋白的相互作用以及镰状化现象的分析表明，既没有证据表明镰状细胞性状是一种健康危害，而且大多数与此发现相悖的文献都是无效的。
