The symptoms of sickle cell disease usually shows up after an

infant is approximately four months old. Anemia is one sign of sickle cell disease. Red blood cells usually live for 120 days

before they need to be replaced by new ones. However, sickle cells die off after ten to twenty days. Another major symptom of sickle cell anemia is episodes of pain. The pain

develops because sickle-shaped red blood cells block the flow through tiny blood vessels to your abdomen, joints, and chest.

These episodes of pain that occur periodically are called crises. Some patients diagnosed with sickle cell anemia only

experience pain a few times in a year; whereas, others can experience various amounts of crises a year. Sometimes if the pain is severe, patients may be hospitalized. The pain can also occur in the bones as well.

 

To continue, hand-foot syndrome is another symptom of sickle cell disease. Usually a patient will have swollen

hands and feet. The swelling is caused by the sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking the blood flow in their hands and feet.

Frequent infections are also another symptom that may occur in a patient who has a sickle cell disease. Sickle cells damage

the spleen and other vital organs that fight infections. Delayed growth can be a sign of sickle cell disease as well. When a

shortage of red blood cells occurs, slow growth is affected in infants and children. A shortage in red blood cell can also delay puberty.

 

Lastly, vision problems may occur when a person has sickle cell disease. This occurs because tiny blood vessels supply if an individual's eyes become plugged with sickle cells, and damage the retina. Sickle cell disease is caused by a gene mutation that tells your body to make hemoglobin. The defective gene in sickle cell affects the gene that codes for the beta chain of adult hemoglobin.