Joining a support group where members share common experiences can relieve the stress related to caring for someone with a chronic disease. See: Sickle cell anemia - support group

In the past, sickle cell patients often died from organ failure between ages 20 and 40. Thanks to a better understanding and management of the disease, today, patients can live into their 50s or beyond.

Causes of death include organ failure and infection. Some people with the disease experience minor, brief, infrequent episodes. Others experience severe, long-term, frequent episodes with many complications.

• Acute chest syndrome
• Anemia
• Blindness/vision impairment
• Brain and nervous system (neurologic) symptoms and stroke
• Death
• Disease of many body systems (kidney, liver, lung)
• Drug (narcotic) abuse
• Erectile dysfunction (as a result of priapism)
• Gallstones
• Hemolytic crisis
• Infection, including pneumonia, gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis), bone infection (osteomyelitis), and urinary tract infection
• Joint destruction
• Leg sores (ulcers)
• Loss of function in the spleen
• Parvovirus B19 infection, leading to low red blood cell production (aplastic crisis)
• Splenic sequestration syndrome
• Tissue death in the kidney

Call your health care provider if you have:

• Painful crises
• Any symptoms of infection (fever, body aches, headache, fatigue)

Images

Red blood cells, normal

Formed elements of blood

Red blood cells, sickle cell

Red blood cells, multiple sickle cells

Blood cells

Red blood cells, sickle and pappenheimer

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Sickle cell anemia Symptoms

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Sickle cell anemia Prevention

Review Date: 02/28/2011
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)