A Comprehensive Guide To Sickle Cell Anemia

Symptoms To Be Aware Of

All of the significant symptoms patients with sickle cell anemia experience are a direct result of the abnormally shaped, sickled red blood cells that block blood flow from circulating throughout the tissues of the body. Due to impaired circulation, these tissues suffer great damage from a lack of oxygen and patients who suffer from extensive tissue and organ damage can experience severe disability and a lower quality of life. As a result of this impairment, patients endure episodes of pain known as ‘crises’ that vary in frequency and severity, depending on the degree of the organ involved.

The predominant symptoms include fatigue and anemia, pain crises, swelling and inflammation of the hands and feet known as dactylitis, arthritis, bacterial infections, splenic sequestration, liver congestion, lung and heart injury, and leg ulcers. Other symptoms include aseptic necrosis and bone infarcts, eye damage, and additional features, such as the weakening of the bones due to osteoporosis, kidney damage and infection, and nervous system damage. It should be noted symptoms can occur at any age, however, specific symptoms can appear for specific age groups.

Keep reading to discover the causes of sickle cell anemia and how not just genetics, but specific organs, can play an important role.