How Do You Recognize Symptoms Of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)?
Recognize the symptoms and complications of the disease. These may include: • Hand-foot syndrome: • Swelling in the hands and feet, often accompanied by a fever. This is usually the first symptom of sickle cell disease. • Pain episodes or crisis: • Pain that can start suddenly, be mild to severe, and can last for any length of time. • Anemia: • The red blood cells die early. There are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. This can cause irritability, tiredness, increased heart rate, and difficulty breathing. • Infection: • People with sickle cell disease, particularly infants and children, are at a higher risk for infections. • Acute chest syndrome: • Similar to pneumonia. Symptoms include coughing, chest pain, labored breathing, and fever. • Splenic sequestration: • A large number of sickle cells get trapped in the spleen causing it to suddenly enlarge. Symptoms include pale lips, sudden weakness, severe thirst, fast breathing, abdominal pain on the l
