vaso-occlusive crisis

vaso-occlusive crisis

Painful crisis Hematology A 'crisis' common in sickle cell anemia, in which 'sludged' sickled RBCs cause capillary stasis and infarction, and incapacitating musculoskeletal pain or 'referral'-type organ pain, hemoptysis, hematuria, melena, CNS Sx; VOCs occur at a rate of 0.8 episodes/yr in sickle cell disease, 1.0/yr in sickle-β-thalassemia, and 0.4/yr in HbSC-β thalassemia; this frequency is translated into a 'pain rate', a measure of disease severity that correlates with early death in Ps with sickling anemias Management High-dose methylprednisolone ↓ duration of painful crises; rebound attacks ↑ with discontinuation of steroids. See Hemolytic crisis, Sickle cell anemia.