Markers / Gene
HBB
One position in this gene is readable from a home DNA test.
Sickle cell
rs334 · chr11:5,248,232 · T/A · evidence: established
The single change that causes sickle cell disease in two copies and gives protection against severe malaria in one. It is the most studied human genetic variant there is.
| If you carry | What it means |
|---|---|
| No copies | You do not carry the sickle variant |
| One copy | Carrier, sickle cell trait |
| Two copies | Two copies, which means sickle cell disease |
| Ancestry group | A (the effect version) | |
|---|---|---|
| African | 10.0% | |
| American | 0.7% | |
| East Asian | 0.0% | |
| European | 0.0% | |
| South Asian | 0.0% |
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, via Ensembl, retrieved 2026-09-23. These groupings are coarse and flatten a great deal of internal diversity, particularly within Africa. A variant being common somewhere tells you where a piece of your ancestry probably comes from, and nothing else.
Where this gene fits
If you have taken a home DNA test, these positions are already in your file.
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