Complications of Sickle Cell Don’t Last

Children with sickle cell disease with pain and lung disease early in life are at no greater risk for stroke or death later in childhood, says a U.S. study.

Researchers at the Utah Southwestern Medical Center also say sickle cell children who have pain episodes or dactylitis, a type of painful swelling of the hands and feet, as infants or toddlers are at no greater risk of having those symptoms recur in later childhood.

The study’s results, however, showed that children hospitalized for chest problems early on are more likely to see those problems recur up to adulthood.

Everybody who has sickle cell disease is affected differently by the disease, said study leader Dr. Charles Quinn.

Some seem to have a lot of problems with pain and lung disease and some have very few problems and may have a normal life span — we don’t really understand why everyone with the same disease can be so different.

The findings are published in the journal Blood.