Sickle Cell Anemia

Symptoms of sickle cell anemia are different in each person ranging from mild symptoms to experiencing very severe symptoms and are often hospitalized for treatment. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia, a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.

The most common sickle cell anemia symptoms are related to:

• Anemia
• Pain when sickle-shaped red blood cells block the flow of blood to an organ
• Other more specific symptoms.

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Shortness of breath.

• Acute pain is the most common type of pain. It is sudden pain that can range from a mild ache to very severe pain. The pain usually lasts from hours to a few days. With complications or poor treatment, the pain can last for weeks.
• Chronic pain usually lasts 3 to 6 months or longer. Chronic pain can be hard to bear and mentally draining. This can severely limit daily activities.
• Mixed pain is a combination both of acute and chronic pain.

• Infections. Both children and adults with sickle cell anemia have a hard time fighting off infections. The spleen is an organ in your body that helps fight infection. In sickle cell anemia, the spleen can become damaged and unable to do its job. Infants and young children with a damaged spleen are more likely to get infections that can kill them within hours or days. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in young children with sickle cell anemia. Meningitis, influenza, and hepatitis are also common infections in persons with sickle cell anemia.
• Hand-foot syndrome. When the small blood vessels in hands or feet are blocked, pain and swelling can occur, along with fever. One or both hands and/or feet may be affected at the same time. This may be the first symptom of sickle cell anemia in infants. Pain may be felt in the many bones of the hands and feet. Swelling usually occurs on the back of the hands and feet and moves into the fingers and toes.
• Eye problems. The retina is a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye that receives and processes visual images. When the retina does not get enough blood, it can weaken and cause problems. These problems can be serious enough to cause blindness.
• Acute chest syndrome. This is a life-threatening problem of sickle cell anemia similar to pneumonia. It is caused by infection or by trapped sickle cells in the lung. Patients usually have chest pain, fever, and an abnormal chest x-ray.
• Delayed growth and puberty in children. Children with sickle cell anemia often grow more slowly and reach puberty later than other children. Adults with sickle cell anemia often have a slight build. The slow rate of growth is caused by a shortage of red blood cells (anemia).
• Sores (ulcers) on the legs. Sickle cell ulcers usually begin as small, raised, crusting sores on the lower third of the leg. Leg sores occur more often in males than in females and usually appear between ages 10 and 50. The cause of leg ulcers is unclear. There can be just one ulcer or many. Some heal rapidly but others persist for years or come back after healing.
• Stroke. The sickle-shaped red blood cell may stick to the walls of the tiny blood vessels in the brain. This can cause a stroke. This type of stroke occurs mainly in children. The stroke can cause learning disabilities or more severe problems.
• Priapism. Males with sickle cell anemia may have painful and unwanted erections called priapism. This happens because the sickle cells stop blood flow out of an erect penis.
• Gallstones. Gallstones form in the gallbladder when there is too much bilirubin in the body. Bilirubin is made when red blood cells break down. People with gallstones may have steady pain in the upper right side of the belly, under the right shoulder, or between the shoulder blades that lasts for 30 minutes or more. The pain may occur:
  1. After eating fatty meals
  2. With nausea, vomiting, fever, sweating, chills, clay-colored stool and yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes.

If you or someone in your family has sickle cell anemia, you may need help handling the stresses of coping with this lifelong disease. Your doctor can talk with you about your concerns. Sickle cell centers and clinics also can provide information and counseling. Many areas have sickle cell support groups for families affected by the disease.

Symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia to S