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Sickle cell anemia - Symptom
Alternative Names
Anemia - sickle cell; Hemoglobin SS disease (Hb SS); Sickle cell disease
Symptoms:
Common symptoms include:
- Attacks of abdominal pain
- Bone pain
- Breathlessness
- Delayed growth and puberty
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Jaundice
- Paleness
- Rapid heart rate
- Susceptibility to infections
- Ulcers on the lower legs (in adolescents and adults)
The patient may also have:
- Bloody urine (hematuria)
- Chest pain
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Painful erection (priapism; this occurs in 10 - 40% of men with the disease)
- Poor eyesight/blindness
Signs and tests:
Tests commonly performed to diagnose and monitor patients with sickle cell anemia include:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Hemoglobin electrophoresis
- Sickle cell test
Patients with sickle cell may have abnormal results on certain tests, as follows:
- Amount of oxygen in the blood may be decreased
- CT scan or MRI may show strokes in certain circumstances
- Elevated bilirubin
- High serum creatinine
- High serum potassium
- High white blood cell count
- Peripheral smear displays sickle cells
- Serum hemoglobin will be decreased
- Urinary casts or blood in the urine
- Reviewed last on: 2/26/2007
- William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
References
Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2004:1030-1039
Hoffman R, Benz Jr. EJ, Shattil SJ, et al., eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 4th ed. Philladelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingston; 2005:591-634.
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