Before college athletes ramp up for fall sports, they should ask their coaches and athletics directors an important question: Will you test me for the sickle cell trait? And if not, why?

Sickle cell trait can cause an individual to collapse – and even die – upon overexertion at extreme temperatures or altitudes.  As we know, football players – and many other student athletes – often practice in extreme heat, with layers of pads and gear, and push themselves as hard as they can. 

I am sure we’ve all read media accounts of a promising student-athlete collapsing, or even dying, during a routine practice session. Some reports say that a complication of SCT, called “exertional sickling,” is now the leading cause of death of NCAA football players this decade. 

There are always questions – by coaches, administrators and parents – about signs they missed or what they could have done to prevent the incident. And as a risk-management professional, I would ask the same questions to ensure my institution is taking the necessary steps to protect student-athletes.

But the easiest and most cost-effective way to screen athletes for the most common cause of such deaths is not a standard part of the pre-participation physical for most student athletes.

It should be.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association says almost all of the 13 deaths of college football players occurred at schools that did not screen for SCT or didn’t have appropriate precautions in place.

SCT screening is normally performed on all newborns in the United States, though during that exciting and overwhelming time for new parents, the result of this screening is often overlooked or forgotten.  So when embarking to play for their high school or college sports team, a student is likely unaware that he or she may carry this trait and is predisposed to serious illness. 

There is a simple and very affordable solution. Every college athlete must complete a pre-participation physical. A simple $5 blood test to screen for SCT needs to be added to this physical, and then coaches and players will know if special precautions should be taken. 

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the College of American Pathologists recommend that this test be part of the pre-participation physical, but it is not yet standard operating procedure at our nation’s schools and colleges. And just this past June, the NCAA is recommending its member colleges and universities test student-athletes to confirm their sickle cell trait status if that information is not already known. The action follows guidelines from these leading medical groups and stems from the resolution of a lawsuit regarding student-athlete benefits (the so-called “White case”).

Recommendations are great, but we need this test to be mandatory. It is not expensive and can be seamlessly incorporated in the existing physicals athletes must complete.

Should an athlete test positive for SCT, there are simple precautions that the coach, trainer and student should take to protect that student from harm.

• Develop a year-round strength and conditioning program.
• Train the athlete with paced progressions, allowing longer periods of rest and recovery.
• Learn the symptoms – muscle cramping, pain, swelling, weakness, difficulty breathing or fatigue – and stop activity if they appear.
• Encourage the athlete to immediately report any symptoms to the trainers or coaches without fear of reprisal.
• In conditions of extreme heat or high altitude, or when the athlete has asthma or is ill, either adjust the workout with an emphasis on hydration or cancel the workout completely.
• Should the athlete experience unusual duress, seek medical attention immediately.

The simplicity and affordability of this effective and life-saving test should mean that SCT screening is part and parcel of the pre-participation physicals. The fact that it is not confounds me – and many others in the education industry.

Karen-Ann Broe is the senior risk counsel for United Educators Insurance, a provider of liability insurance and risk-management services exclusively for the education community.