KL and Priapism: A study made on 44 candidate genes, in 148 patients with SCA and a confirmed history of priapism, versus 529 control SCA patients who never developed priapism, revealed a polymorphic association with the KL gene.87 Another recent study examined genetic polymorphisms in 199 unrelated, adult (>18 years) male patients with HbSS and HbS/beta (0)-thalassemia, 83 (42%) with a reported history of priapism.