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    HomeHealth Topics< Back ToSickle Cell DiseaseSymptoms

  What Is Sickle Cell Disease?
                                                  
                          Symptoms
                                                  
                          Diagnosis
                                                  
                          Causes and Risk Factors
                                                  
                          Sickle Cell Trait
                                                  
                          Treatment
                                                  
                          How Sickle Cell Disease May Affect Your Health
                                                  
                          Living With Sickle Cell Disease
                                                  
                          Pregnancy, Reproduction, and Sickle Cell Disease
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          Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle Cell DiseaseSymptoms

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Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease, which means you are born with it. However, most newborns do not have any problems from the disease until they are about 5 or 6 months of age.The symptoms of sickle cell disease can vary from person to person and can change over time. How the disease affects your body over time will determine what kind of symptoms you may have.

          
Early symptoms

            **A yellowish color** of the skin (jaundice) or whites of the eyes (icterus) that appears when a large number of red cells undergo hemolysis
	**Extreme tiredness or fussiness** from anemia
	**Painful swelling of the hands and feet,** known as dactylitis

          
Know when to seek emergency medical care

            Sickle cell disease can lead to serious and life-threatening health problems. If you think that you or someone else is having any of the following symptoms or complications, **seek medical care or call 9-1-1 right away.****Severe anemia:** Symptoms include extreme tiredness (fatigue), shortness of breath, dizziness, or irregular heartbeat. Splenic sequestration crisis or an aplastic crisis can cause severe anemia symptoms. These conditions can be life-threatening.**Fever:** A fever of more than 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38.5 degrees Celsius, requires attention from a healthcare provider and treatment with antibiotics right away. Some people will need to be hospitalized.**Acute chest syndrome:** Symptoms include chest pain, coughing, fever, and shortness of breath. You will need to be admitted to the hospital, where you may receive antibiotics, oxygen therapy, or a blood transfusion.**Stroke:** Warning signs include sudden weakness, numbness on one side of the body, confusion, or trouble speaking, seeing, or walking.**Priapism:** An erection that lasts for 4 hours or more. You will need to go to the hospital to see a hematologist (a doctor who specializes in blood conditions and diseases) and a urologist (a doctor who specializes in treating conditions of the male reproductive and urinary systems).
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  Last updated on August 30, 2023 Back To Top Link
  

        

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