Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder where the body doesn’t create enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body.
It’s a type of sickle cell disease, a group of disorders that get their name from the unusual shape they cause in red blood cells. Usually, red blood cells look like round discs. But in sickle cell diseases, they’re shaped like crescent moons, or an old farm tool known as a sickle.
A round disc is the healthiest shape for red blood cells because they can move easily through the blood vessels of the body to get oxygen where it needs to go. When red blood cells are shaped like sickles, they can get stuck, especially inside smaller blood vessels. This keeps blood from flowing as it should, which can cause pain and damage to parts of the body.
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What are the signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia?
Children with sickle cell disease may feel pain in different parts of the body when blood vessels get clogged with sickle cells. The pain can last a few hours or several days, and pain level may vary. When this happens, it’s called a sickle cell crisis or pain crisis. Although there is no way to predict when blood vessels might get clogged, some things can trigger a sickle cell crisis – for example if someone gets sick, too cold, are under a lot of stress or they don’t drink enough liquids.
Children with sickle cell disease may get tired a lot and are more prone to infections. They may not grow as fast as their friends. Sometimes the skin and whites of their eyes have a yellowish color, known as jaundice, and they may need to make frequent visits to the bathroom.
What causes sickle cell anemia?
Children with sickle cell disease may feel pain in different parts of the body when blood vessels get clogged with sickle cells. The pain can last a few hours or several days, and pain level may vary. When this happens, it’s called a sickle cell crisis or pain crisis. Although there is no way to predict when blood vessels might get clogged, some things can trigger a sickle cell crisis – for example if someone gets sick, too cold, are under a lot of stress or they don’t drink enough liquids.
Children with sickle cell disease may get tired a lot and are more prone to infections. They may not grow as fast as their friends. Sometimes the skin and whites of their eyes have a yellowish color, known as jaundice, and they may need to make frequent visits to the bathroom.
How is sickle cell anemia treated?
There is no cure for sickle cell anemia, but treatments can relieve pain and help prevent complications associated with the disease. Doctors at Connecticut Children’s can determine the right plan if your child requires treatment for a sickle cell anemia.
Treatments may include taking penicillin (a drug that helps prevent infection), or taking a vitamin called folic acid, which helps the body make new red blood cells. Another medication called hydroxyurea can make sickled red blood cells less “sticky” and less likely to cause problems.
Treatment may also include pain medications when a patient is in sickle cell crisis or blood transfusions to put healthy cells right into the patient’s body.
Connecticut Children’s is one of the few centers that offer a sickle cell pulmonary clinic. The clinic is devoted to sickle cell patients and is held once every other month.