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Sickle Cell Crisis (cont.)

Exams and Tests

The health care provider will take the complete medical history of a person with sickle cell disease. This history should include whether any infections are present. The health care provider will ask about other problems that are common starters of sickle cell crisis. These problems would be a lack of oxygen in the tissue, bleeding, dehydration, alcohol and drug use, pregnancy, and other concerns.

During a physical exam, the physician will check the nervous system, lungs, bones, eyes, and abdomen, in particular.
The physician will perform blood and urine tests. If indicated, the physician may have a CT scan of the head taken and perform a spinal tap to check for problems in the spinal fluid and brain.

If the physician suspects sickle cell disease in an adult, or more commonly a child not previously diagnosed with this disease, attention will first be paid to getting a family history of sickle cell disease. The physician then performs a blood test to diagnose the disease.