What is the most common autosomal recessive disease among African Americans?

Sickle-cell disease is indeed the most prevalent autosomal recessive disorder among African Americans, primarily due to a higher carrier rate within this population. This genetic condition arises from a mutation in the HBB gene that codes for the beta chain of hemoglobin, leading to the production of abnormal hemoglobin known as hemoglobin S. Individuals who are carriers (sickle cell trait) have one normal hemoglobin gene and one sickle cell gene and are generally asymptomatic. However, when an individual inherits two sickle cell genes (one from each parent), they develop sickle-cell disease, which can cause severe pain, anemia, and various complications due to the sickling of red blood cells that obstruct normal blood flow and decrease oxygen delivery to tissues.

In contrast, cystic fibrosis, albinism, and phenylketonuria, while significant genetic disorders, do not have the same prevalence among African Americans as sickle-cell disease does. Cystic fibrosis has a much higher incidence in Caucasian populations, albinism is more widely distributed but not specifically linked to a higher frequency in African Americans, and phenylketonuria appears globally regardless of ethnicity but is not particularly prevalent in this demographic. This differentiation in prevalence is key to understanding the