Sickle Cell Dactylitis

**Semantic type:** Disease or Syndrome

**Definition:** A severe acute inflammatory response affecting the hands and feet of individuals with with sickle cell disease, sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease or sickle cell-beta-thalassemia. It is caused by vaso-occlusive episodes leading to ischemia and finally infarction of the distal portions of the extremities. Clinical signs of pain, swelling and tenderness of digits usually begin in early childhood and may be the initial manifestations of sickle cell anemia. Clinical course is self-limited with instances typically lasting a few weeks and occurring during sickling crises. An initial episode before the age of 1 strongly correlates with a more severe disease course.