In sickle cell disease, the severe joint and abdominal pain is primarily due to which pathophysiology?

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Multiple Choice

In sickle cell disease, the severe joint and abdominal pain is primarily due to which pathophysiology?

Vaso-occlusion from sickled red blood cells is the main driver of the severe joint and abdominal pain in sickle cell crises. When hemoglobin S releases oxygen, it polymerizes and makes red cells rigid and misshapen. These sickled cells tend to stick to the endothelium and to each other, blocking small vessels in bones and abdominal organs. That occlusion cuts off blood flow, causing tissue ischemia and infarction, which manifests as intense pain in joints and the abdomen. Inflammation and infection can accompany these events, but the painful episode centers on the impaired blood flow and resulting ischemia rather than an inflammatory reaction alone.

Vaso-occlusion from sickled red blood cells is the main driver of the severe joint and abdominal pain in sickle cell crises. When hemoglobin S releases oxygen, it polymerizes and makes red cells rigid and misshapen. These sickled cells tend to stick to the endothelium and to each other, blocking small vessels in bones and abdominal organs. That occlusion cuts off blood flow, causing tissue ischemia and infarction, which manifests as intense pain in joints and the abdomen. Inflammation and infection can accompany these events, but the painful episode centers on the impaired blood flow and resulting ischemia rather than an inflammatory reaction alone.

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