Sickle cell disease (skeletal manifestations)

Last revised by Joshua Yap on 30 Dec 2022

Skeletal manifestations of sickle cell disease result from three interconnected sequelae of sickle cell disease 5

  1. vaso-occlusive crises resulting in bone infarcts and subperiosteal hemorrhages

  2. chronic anemia resulting in expansion of the medullary spaces

  3. infection

These, in turn, can predispose individuals to other complications, such as growth disturbance and pathological fractures.

For a general discussion of sickle cell disease, please refer to sickle cell disease.

Vaso-occlusive crises are common and usually result in skeletal pain. Osteomyelitis will present with localized pain and systemic features of infection. 

The radiographic features will depend on the specific complication and are therefore discussed separately where appropriate. 

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