Can you have both the thalassemia trait and sickle cell trait?

Yes: A person has both sickle cell trait and Alpha or beta thalassemia trait if he inherited one gene mutation for sickle cell anemia, and also inherited one gene mutation for beta thalassemia or two gene mutations for Alpha thalassemia. Mutations can come from either parent, or all mutations can come from one parent.

Yes: Many people have Alpha thalassemia trait and sickle trait together. This combination rarely leads to any significant medical concerns. Fewer people are affected with both beta thalassemia and sickle trait at the same time, and this combination is more serious (a form of sickle cell disease), often leading to medical problems for the individual.

Yes and no: If you have the sickle cell mutation on one beta hemoglobin gene and a thalassemia mutation on the second gene, then you have sickle cell beta thalassemia - this is not a trait but a disease. The severity of the disease is dependent upon the size/ location of the thalassemia mutation.