Sickle Cell Crisis

The most common condition in patients living with SCD is bouts of acute pain, ranging anywhere from a couple of hours to weeks. This pain is caused by blockages in the bloodstream, caused by those sickle-shaped, mutated blood cells. While pain can be felt anywhere in the body and in multiple places at once, the most common sites of sickle cell crisis take place in the lower back, chest, arms, legs and belly. In children, this pain is also often felt in the hands and feet.

Some of the elements which can provoke the onset of sickle cell crisis involve sudden changed in temperature. Most patients with sickle cell disease live in warmer climates and note that cold temperatures almost always instigate pain. Changes in altitude, high winds, humidity, stress and lack of bodily fluids are all linked to instigating sickle cell crisis. Oddly, there is some research suggesting that exposure to carbon monoxide can ease these episodes though the research is inconclusive.