What is the Sickling Test?

The results of a sickling test can come out to be either positive or negative. This test looks for Haemoglobin S, a component of your blood that causes sickle cell disease. If your test results have come out negative, it means you do not have the Haemoglobin S and vice versa.

When you opt for a sickling test, a doctor or nurse draws a blood sample from you and runs diagnostic tests on it at the lab. In the lab, a chemical known as sodium metabisulphite is mixed with the blood, which helps to quickly identify if there are any sickle cells in your blood.

During a sickling test, a doctor, nurse, or any other trained medical professional withdraws a certain amount of blood from a vein in your arm. This procedure can cause slight momentary pain. Once the blood has been taken, this sample is sent to the diagnostic lab. A trained technician observes your blood sample at the lab and looks for deformed RBCs (or sickle cells).

To check your sickling status, you will have to get a sickling test done. This test uses the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to screen your blood sample for sickle cells. While this test helps identify the type of hemoglobin present in your blood, a follow-up genetic test may be needed to confirm sickle cell disease. 

If your test result has come out positive, this means it is an abnormal result for a sickling test. This means that you have deformed RBCs or sickle cells and the Haemoglobin S in your blood which is responsible for creating these sickle cells. A negative result is considered normal for a sickling test. 

If your sickling test result is positive, then the test has detected the presence of Haemoglobin S (also known as sickling haemoglobin) in your blood sample. This is the first stage of screening for sickle cell anaemia, and a positive result means you should begin treatment for anaemia as soon as possible.

Red blood cells (RBCs) are mostly made up of haemoglobin, and when this haemoglobin clumps to one end of the cell, the RBC loses its concave disc shape and becomes crescent-shaped. This process is known as sickling and can severely hamper the RBC’s capacity to carry oxygen. It also causes the RBC to disintegrate prematurely.

A sickle cell contains an abnormal type of haemoglobin known as Haemoglobin S or Sickle Haemoglobin. If you have sickle cell disease, you have most likely inherited two Haemoglobin S-producing genes, one from each of your parents. This can lead to anaemia (reduced healthy haemoglobin and RBC count), and you may need regular blood transfusions.

There are seven types of sickling: 

• Haemoglobin SS disease
• Haemoglobin SC disease
• Haemoglobin SB+ (beta) thalassemia
• Haemoglobin SB 0 (Beta-zero) thalassemia
• Haemoglobin SD
• Haemoglobin SE
• Haemoglobin SO

The last three types are more uncommon than the rest but can be identified with the help of a sickling test.

Identify the problem early via a simple lab blood test and get the treatment as early as possible. Book an appointment now to get a sickling test done at the earliest or consult a specialist for a free second opinion.