When do sickle cell symptoms appear?

People with sickle cell disease (SCD) start to have signs of the disease during the first year of life, usually around 5 months of age. Symptoms and complications of SCD are different for each person and can range from mild to severe.

What are the signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease?

Most of the signs and symptoms of SCD are related to complications of the disease. Complications usually occur because of blocked blood flow (vaso-occlusion) and low red blood cell count (anemia). People with SCD have an abnormal form of hemoglobin in their red blood cells.

What happens if you have sickle cell anaemia?

People with sickle cell anaemia are at a higher risk for stroke, hypertension (high blood pressure), organ damage, blindness, skin ulcers, and gallstones. What treatments are available for sickle cell disease?

How does sickle cell disease affect your eyes?

If they affect your spleen, you may have frequent infections. If they block the blood vessels in your eyes, you can develop vision problems. Pain is an unpredictable symptom of sickle cell disease. The deformed blood cells can get stuck in and block your blood vessels.

How often does sickle cell disease cause pain?

The average is 1 bad episode a year. It’s not always clear what triggers bad pain, but sometimes painful episodes can be caused by the weather (such as wind, rain or cold), dehydration, stress or strenuous exercise. People with sickle cell disease are more vulnerable to infections, particularly when they’re young.

Early signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease include swelling of the hands and feet; symptoms of anemia, including fatigue, or extreme tiredness; and jaundice. Over time, sickle cell disease can lead to complications such as infections, delayed growth, and episodes of pain, called pain crises.

What are the signs of sickle cell crisis?

The most common sign of sickle cell crisis is pain that might be dull, stabbing, throbbing, or sharp.

What does sickle cell feel like?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited disorders in which hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, becomes hard and sticky and looks like a sickle. The symptoms of sickle cell disease include abdominal pain, bone pain, shortness of breath, delayed growth, fatigue, fever and chest pain.

What is the prognosis for sickle cell disease?

Some people with the disease can remain without symptoms for years, while others do not survive beyond infancy or early childhood. New treatments for sickle cell disease are improving life expectancy and quality of life. People with sickle cell disease can survive beyond their 50s with optimal management of the disease.