title: The splenic syndrome in individuals with sickle cell trait.
abstract: The medical records of 25 individuals with sickle cell trait and altitude-associated splenic infarct, reported to two Colorado physicians, were reviewed. Electrospray mass spectroscopy was performed on blood samples from a cohort of 10 of the individuals to rapidly confirm beta hemoglobin phenotype. Only males were identified with a 1.4:1 ratio of non-African Americans to African Americans, and 44% of African Americans and 85% of non-African Americans were unaware they had sickle cell trait. Left upper quadrant pain and an elevated bilirubin were nearly uniformly present. Either abdominal CT or ultrasound was confirmatory. Conservative treatment at a lower altitude generally resulted in a favorable outcome.
authors.affiliation: 1 St. Vincent's Children's Hospital , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hassell
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Ewa H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Witkowski
authors.forename: Rachelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nuss
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000531:Altitude; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003120:Colorado; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012805:Sickle Cell Trait / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D013159:Splenic Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013577:Syndrome; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: altitude; sickle cell; sickle cell trait; splenic infarction; splenic syndrome