Sickle Cell Anemia Symptoms and Signs

Patients with sickle cell anemia usually show some signs and symptoms after 4 months of age. Some patients have mild symptoms, and some have very severe symptoms. The basic problem is the same: the sickle-shaped red blood cells tend to get stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood. This results may lead to signs and symptoms as following:

Pain, periodic episodes of pain, called crises: are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Blocked blood vessels and damaged organs can cause acute painful episodes, or "crises." There are three several types of crises:

• Hemolytic crisis occurs when damaged red blood cells break down
• Splenic sequestration crisis is when the spleen enlarges and traps the blood cells
• Aplastic crisis results when an infection causes the bone marrow to stop producing red blood cells

These painful crises, which occur in almost all patients at some point in their lives, can last hours to days, affecting the bones of the back, the long bones, and the chest. Some patients have one episode every few years, while others have many episodes per year. The crises can be severe enough to require admission to the hospital for pain control and intravenous fluids.

Anemia: Signs and Symptoms Related to Anemia, include:

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Headache

Hand-foot syndrome: Swollen hands and feet are often the first signs of sickle cell anemia in babies. The swelling is caused by sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow out of the hands and feet.

Jaundice: is a yellowing of the skin and eyes that occurs because of liver damage or dysfunction. Occasionally, people who have sickle cell anemia have some degree of jaundice because the liver, which filters harmful substances from the blood, is overwhelmed by the rapid breakdown of red blood cells. In people with dark skin, jaundice is visible mostly as yellowing of the whites of their eyes.

Tissue Damage: When sickle cells block small blood vessels, the amount of blood received by certain parts of the body is reduced. Tissue that does not receive an adequate amount of blood will eventually become damaged.

Stunted growth: Red blood cells provide your body with the oxygen and nutrients you need for growth. A shortage of healthy red blood cells can slow growth in infants and children and delay puberty in teenagers.

Vision Problems: The retina, the "film" at the back of the eye that receives and processes visual images, can deteriorate when it does not get enough nourishment from circulating red blood cells. Damage to the retina can be serious enough to cause blindness.