10 Sickle Cell Anemia Symptoms
Symptom #3: Dactylitis
Dactylitis refers to the inflammation of a finger or toe (an entire digit). It can be a painful condition. Dactylitis can be seen in conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, tuberculosis, leprosy, syphilis, sarcoidosis, and sickle cell disease. In patients with sickle cell disease, dactylitis occurs as a result of a vaso-occlusive crisis.
It is mostly seen for the first time when individuals are between 6 to 9 months old as this is the time when the fetal hemoglobin is being replaced with the mutated adult hemoglobin, causing the manifestations of the disease. It is one of the earliest presenting symptoms for sickle cell disease.
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