The following symptoms and complaints may indicate sickle cell anemia (sickle cell disease):
Triad
- Chronic hemolysis (dissolution of red blood cells; hemolytic anemia) and developmental abnormalities-usually occurring in infancy
- Vaso-occlusions ( occlusion of (blood) vessels) → acute and chronic organ damage.
- Functional asplenia → lifelong susceptibility to infections (e.g., with pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Salmonella).
Further notes
- Occurrence of developmental disorders – usually occurring in infancy.
- Individuals with heterozygous predisposition are usually asymptomatic.
Triggers of sickle cell crisis are:
- Acidosis (hyperacidity of the blood).
- Dehydration (lack of fluid)
- Hemolysis (dissolution of red blood cells).
- Hypoxia (oxygen deficiency)
- Infections
Symptoms of sickle cell crisis (pain crisis).
- Organ infarcts – brain, spleen, kidneys, lungs, bones, etc. with the following symptoms:
- Acute abdomen – symptom complex characterized by the following involved symptoms:
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Nausea (nausea)/vomiting – this often accompanies abdominal pain.
- Peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum) with defensive tension.
- Impaired general condition (possibly shock).
- Acute chest pain (chest pain).
- Rheumatoid complaints/pain in the skeletal system.
- Acute neurological symptoms – paralysis, changes in consciousness, etc.
- Acute abdomen – symptom complex characterized by the following involved symptoms:
The following conditions are common in children:
- Threatening susceptibility to infection, especially pneumococcus, Haemophilus, Salmonella, Klebsiella, and Mycoplasma; typical sequelae/complications include:
- Aplastic crisis in parvovirus B19 infection.
- Meningitis; in these cases usually caused by pneumococci
- Osteomyelitis
- Sepsis; usually caused by pneumococci in these cases.
- Girdle syndrome – paralytic ileus (intestinal obstruction) caused by mesenteric infarction (intestinal vessel obstruction).
- Splenic sequestration (acute accumulation of blood in the spleen), which is thereby massively enlarged; leads to anemia (anemia) and shock; occurs in homozygous affected until six years of age, in heterozygous affected until adulthood (splenic crises)
- Infarcts of the central nervous system (cerebral insults/strokes).
