Bacterial Sepsis in Children Who Have Sickle Cell Disease
Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Infection is the principal cause of death in patients who have sickle cell disease. Because the peak incidence of death is between 1 and 3 years, during which period the mortality rate approaches 3%, it is extremely important for the pediatrician to evaluate and treat promptly the febrile child who has sickle cell disease.
Under the age of 5 years, as many as 15% of children who have sickle cell disease develop sepsis or meningitis, with a 30% mortality rate. Children in this age group develop pneumococcal sepsis with 400 times the frequency of the general population. Haemophilus influenzae infection is 2 to 4 times as frequent as in other children.
