What are the symptoms of Sickle-cell disease?
Symptoms usually don't occur until after age 4 months.
Almost all patients with sickle cell anemia have painful episodes (called crises), which can last from hours to days. These crises can affect the bones of the back, the long bones, the chest, and various other organs.
Some patients have one episode every few years. Others have many episodes per year. The crises can be severe enough to require a hospital stay.
Common symptoms include:
Attacks of abdominal pain Bone pain Breathlessness Delayed growth and puberty Fatigue Fever Paleness Rapid heart rate Ulcers on the lower legs (in adolescents and adults) Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
Other symptoms include:
Chest pain Excessive thirst Frequent urination Painful and prolonged erection (priapism - occurs in 10 - 40% of men with the disease) Poor eyesight/blindness Strokes Skin ulcers </s>