Drepanocitosis con complicación abdominal: reporte de caso clínico

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary haemoglobinopathy that causes microvascular occlusion, haemolysis and painful crises. The study therefore aimed to describe the case of an adolescent with sickle cell disease and an abdominal vaso-occlusive crisis that mimicked a surgical acute abdomen, and to analyse its pathophysiology and management in light of the evidence. A clinical case report with literature review was used. A 14-year-old patient presented with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, leucocytosis and haemoglobin of 6 g/dL, without signs of peritoneal irritation and with scant free fluid that disappeared on follow-up ultrasound, and progressed favourably with medical treatment and analgesia. It was concluded that the abdominal crisis can mimic an acute abdomen and that serial assessment avoids unnecessary interventions.