Co-existing sickle cell anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease: case report and review of the literature

Paediatr Int Child Health. 2021 Sep 3:1-7. doi: 10.1080/20469047.2021.1936393. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a chronic haemolytic anaemia associated with vaso-occlusive painful crises which may affect several systems including the gastro-intestinal system, resulting in abdominal pain. The concurrence of inflammatory bowel disease and haemoglobinopathy is rare. No previously reported concurrent cases of both SCA and ulcerative colitis (UC) in sub-Saharan Africa were found in the literature. A 16-year-old girl with concurrent SCA and UC is presented. She was admitted to University College Hospital, Ibadan with a 1-year history of recurrent peri-umbilical pain and bloody stools. These symptoms were mainly attributed to SCA at the referring hospital, and she was managed for chronic tropical diarrhoea without a remarkable clinical response. This case illustrates the concurrent presentation of SCA and ulcerative colitis which led to the missed and delayed diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.PMID:34474658 | DOI:10.1080/20469047.2021.1936393
Source: Paediatrics and international child health - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Source Type: research