Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Abdominal pain in children witFeh sickle cell disease (SCD) is common, accounting for up to 23% of vaso-occlusive pain episode (VOE) presentations [ 1 ].The differential diagnosis, while broad in any child, is nuanced in children with SCD.This is partly due to the pathophysiology of SCD, which can lead to SCD-specific abdominal emergencies, including VOE, splenic, and hepatic sequestration.Patients with SCD are also at risk of developing gastritis and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) given frequent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use [ 1 ].VOE is considered the most common cause of abdominal pain in children with SCD, although fewer than 50% of children with SCD presenting to the emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain receive a gastrointestinal workup [ 1 ], suggesting many cases are potentially under-investigated.Here, we present the case of a child with SCD and a perforated gastric ulcer.A 13-year-old male with SCD (hemoglobin-SS, on hydroxyurea), recurrent episodes of acute chest syndrome (ACS), asthma, chronic pain, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety presented to the ED for left-sided abdominal pain, chest pain, and right-sided shoulder pain.He had been discharged from the hospital 2 days prior after a 16-day hospitalization for diffuse VOE pain.This was one of six hospitalizations in the preceding 9 months, during which time he received a total of 95 doses of intravenous (IV) ketorolac (0.5 mg/kg per dose).He had received 20 mg famotidine daily during hospitalizations and outpatient.
Source: Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Authors: Dunia Hatabah, Martha E. Stewart, Nathan Maassel, James P. Stevens, Claudia R. Morris, Chris A. Rees
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics (clinical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,640
OpenAlex ID: W7212218895