What should you know about sickle cell disease?

A change in haemoglobin can make red blood cells become rigid and curved. These cells may break down sooner than usual and can obstruct small blood vessels, reducing oxygen delivery to tissues. This can cause anaemia, tiredness, pale skin, and episodes of severe pain, including joint pain.

The condition is inherited, so family history and carrier status matter. A blood test can help confirm the diagnosis or identify a carrier state. Symptoms and complications vary, and regular specialist follow-up supports prevention and early treatment.

Keep scheduled reviews and take prescribed medicines as directed. Ask your care team about vaccines, infection prevention, hydration, travel, exercise, and a personal plan for pain episodes. Avoid becoming overheated, dehydrated, or suddenly exposed to cold, as these may contribute to symptoms in some people.

If you are planning a family, genetic counselling and premarital screening can clarify carrier status and reproductive choices. Bring previous blood results and a list of medicines to appointments.

Seek urgent care for severe or unusual pain, fever, chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe headache, or marked paleness. A painful erection that does not settle also needs urgent assessment. Children with sickle cell disease who develop fever should be assessed promptly because infection can become serious.

Ask which tests confirm your type, how to recognise your personal warning signs, what to do during a pain episode, and whether relatives or a partner should consider screening.