A 2-Week-Old Girl Is Brought to Her Primary Care Provider

A 2-week-old girl is brought to her primary care provider for a routine visit.  The patient was born by normal spontaneous vaginal delivery at 39 weeks gestation.  The mother is breastfeeding exclusively, and the infant has regained her birth weight.  Newborn screening results from hemoglobin electrophoresis are as follows: The patient's mother has sickle cell trait, and a maternal cousin has sickle cell anemia.  Examination shows a well-appearing infant with no pallor or splenomegaly.  Which of the following is most likely true about this patient?

A) Life expectancy will be shorter than average
B) Mean corpuscular volume will be decreased
C) Reticulocyte count will be elevated
D) She has relative protection from Plasmodium falciparum
E) She will likely develop pain crises

Correct Answer:

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