Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait

Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait

Introduction: Splenic syndrome is a rare presentation of sickle cell disease. It is important to rule out this possibility when an ethnically vulnerable patient presents with an acute abdominal symptoms in a background of precipitating events. Case Report: A 26-year-old man who developed a severe ab...

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Main Authors: CHKA Fernando MBBS, MD, S Mendis MBBS, MD, AP Upasena MBBS, MD, YJ Costa MBBS, MD, HS Williams MBBS, MD, FRCPath, D Moratuwagama MBBS, MD, FRCPath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-06-01
Series:Journal of Patient Experience
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517747905
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spelling doaj-b4f43e5ef72143389c131b5e16a14f312020-11-25T03:46:27ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Patient Experience2374-37432374-37352018-06-01510.1177/2374373517747905Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell TraitCHKA Fernando MBBS, MD0S Mendis MBBS, MD1AP Upasena MBBS, MD2YJ Costa MBBS, MD3HS Williams MBBS, MD, FRCPath4D Moratuwagama MBBS, MD, FRCPath5 Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Colombo, Sri LankaIntroduction: Splenic syndrome is a rare presentation of sickle cell disease. It is important to rule out this possibility when an ethnically vulnerable patient presents with an acute abdominal symptoms in a background of precipitating events. Case Report: A 26-year-old man who developed a severe abdominal pain at high altitude, found to have a tender splenomegaly. However, further inquiry revealed he is from an area where sickle cell disease is prevalent. Screening for sickle cell disease was positive. Radiological investigations confirmed a massive splenic infarction keeping with a diagnosis of splenic syndrome. Patient was managed conservatively. Conclusion: Sickle cell trait is considered a benign carrier state. However, rarely they can present with life-threatening conditions. Therefore, a high degree of clinical suspicion is required for early diagnosis of these specific entities to avoid increased morbidity and mortality of these patients.https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517747905
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author CHKA Fernando MBBS, MD
S Mendis MBBS, MD
AP Upasena MBBS, MD
YJ Costa MBBS, MD
HS Williams MBBS, MD, FRCPath
D Moratuwagama MBBS, MD, FRCPath
spellingShingle CHKA Fernando MBBS, MD
S Mendis MBBS, MD
AP Upasena MBBS, MD
YJ Costa MBBS, MD
HS Williams MBBS, MD, FRCPath
D Moratuwagama MBBS, MD, FRCPath
Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
Journal of Patient Experience
author_facet CHKA Fernando MBBS, MD
S Mendis MBBS, MD
AP Upasena MBBS, MD
YJ Costa MBBS, MD
HS Williams MBBS, MD, FRCPath
D Moratuwagama MBBS, MD, FRCPath
author_sort CHKA Fernando MBBS, MD
title Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
title_short Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
title_full Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
title_fullStr Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
title_full_unstemmed Splenic Syndrome in a Young Man at High Altitude with Undetected Sickle Cell Trait
title_sort splenic syndrome in a young man at high altitude with undetected sickle cell trait
publisher SAGE Publishing
series Journal of Patient Experience
issn 2374-3743
2374-3735
publishDate 2018-06-01
description Introduction: Splenic syndrome is a rare presentation of sickle cell disease. It is important to rule out this possibility when an ethnically vulnerable patient presents with an acute abdominal symptoms in a background of precipitating events. Case Report: A 26-year-old man who developed a severe abdominal pain at high altitude, found to have a tender splenomegaly. However, further inquiry revealed he is from an area where sickle cell disease is prevalent. Screening for sickle cell disease was positive. Radiological investigations confirmed a massive splenic infarction keeping with a diagnosis of splenic syndrome. Patient was managed conservatively. Conclusion: Sickle cell trait is considered a benign carrier state. However, rarely they can present with life-threatening conditions. Therefore, a high degree of clinical suspicion is required for early diagnosis of these specific entities to avoid increased morbidity and mortality of these patients.
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517747905
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