Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily through blood vessels. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Data sources include IBM Watson Micromedex (updated 2 Nov 2020), Cerner Multum™ (updated 2 Nov 2020), ASHP (updated 23 Oct 2020) and others. What is sickle cell disease? Others have a dozen or more pain crises a year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You have questions or concerns about your condition or care. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It happens when sickle-shaped red blood cells (RBCs) block blood vessels. There's no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. Mayo Clinic; 2019. CDC Updates Its List, Low oxygen levels from difficult exercise, flying, or high altitude, Getting cold or going from warm to cold quickly, Medical procedures, surgery, or having a baby, Strong emotions, such as anger or depression. A sickle cell crisis can also damage your tissues and cause organ failure, such liver or kidney failure. Available for Android and iOS devices. They can also explain possible treatments, preventive measures and reproductive options. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Pruthi RK (expert opinion) Mayo Clinic. Sickle cell anemia can lead to a host of complications, including: 1. These rigid, sticky cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body. You are a man and have an erection that is painful and does not go away. Subscribe to Drugs.com newsletters for the latest medication news, new drug approvals, alerts and updates. Genetics Home Reference. Accessed Dec. 6, 2019. A sickle cell crisis is a painful episode that occurs in people who have sickle cell anemia. But sickle cells usually die in 10 to 20 days, leaving a shortage of red blood cells (anemia). We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information -, Look up ICD10 codes for Anemia, Sickle Cell on icd-codes.com, Medical Marijuana Tied to Fewer Admissions in Sickle Cell Disease, What People With Sickle Cell Disease Need to Know About COVID-19, Who's at Highest Risk From COVID-19? You have shortness of breath or chest pain. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Pain can also occur in your bones. A severe pain crisis requires a hospital stay. Accessed Dec. 6, 2019. Dec. 23, 2019. Acute painful episodes in sickle cell anemia patients usually develop as a result of a vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) and should be treated as a medical emergency. A stroke can be fatal. For a baby to be born with sickle cell anemia, both parents must carry a sickle cell gene. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. If only one parent passes the sickle cell gene to the child, that child will have the sickle cell trait. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Some adolescents and adults with sickle cell anemia also have chronic pain, which can result from bone and joint damage, ulcers, and other causes. Pain is a common problem for people with sickle cell disease.It happens when the sickle-shaped red blood cells that cause the condition get stuck … Sickle cell disease. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-treatment-target-abnormality-sickle-cell-disease. A sickle cell crisis can also damage your tissues and cause organ failure, such liver or kidney failure. Episodes of pain. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. The pain varies in intensity and can last for a few hours to a few weeks. In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and misshapen. See our safety precautions in response to COVID-19. Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, See our safety precautions in response to COVID-19, Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition, Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition, FREE book offer – Mayo Clinic Health Letter. © 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Sickle cell trait (SCT) is an inherited blood disorder. They will depend on the area of your body where blood flow has been blocked. In sickle cell anemia, some red blood cells become deformed, so they look like sickles used to cut wheat. With one normal hemoglobin gene and one defective form of the gene, people with the sickle cell trait make both normal hemoglobin and sickle cell hemoglobin. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Sickle cell disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Blood and oxygen cannot get to your tissues, causing pain. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/sickle-cell-disease. Make a donation. Signs and symptoms can include: Anemia. It happens when sickle-shaped red blood cells (RBCs) block blood vessels. VOC occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells block small blood vessels so that the blood cannot flow normally. If your baby or child has any of these signs and symptoms, seek medical treatment immediately. Periodic episodes of pain, called pain crises, are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Red blood cells usually live for about 120 days before they need to be replaced. Accessed Dec. 27, 2019. In the United States, sickle cell anemia most commonly affects black people.