Sickle cell disease and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

While neurological complications are common in sickle cell disease, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage has been rarely reported. A case is presented of a young man with sickle cell disease and subarachnoid hemorrhage found to have two mid-basilar aneurysms, the largest of which had bled. Available literature suggests that this patient may be quite representative as nearly one half of documented cases have been noted to harbor multiple aneurysms, and posterior circulation involvement appears to be common. These anatomic features may relate to the pathophysiology of arterial destruction common in sickle cell disease.