Sudden unexpected death in a patient with splenic sequestration and sickle cell-beta+-thalassemia syndrome.
Acute splenic sequestration crisis is a rare disorder that usually occurs in children, with sickle cell anemia, who are under the age of five years. A few cases have been described in adults with heterozygous sickle cell syndromes. Though this entity can be fatal there have been no reported cases associated with sudden death. We describe a case of sudden, unexpected death, associated with splenic sequestration, in a 29-year-old African-American man with undiagnosed sickle cell-beta-thalassemia syndrome.
Hutchins
K D
KD
Edwin H. Albano Institute of Forensic Sciences, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Ballas
S K
SK
Phatak
D
D
Natarajan
G A
GA
D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012805:Sickle Cell Trait / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology