Hemoglobin Sickle-Beta-Thalassemia With an Acute Crisis

A 45-year-old Algerian man presented to our hospital in Japan with sudden onset of severe lower back pain. Peripheral blood smear showed target cells, and sickle cells constituting 4% of all erythrocytes, which led to the diagnosis of hemoglobin sickle-beta-thalassemia (HbS/β-thalassemia) with an acute crisis. The patient was hospitalized and treated with fluid therapy, continuous fentanyl infusion for pain management. He was discharged from hospital on Day 12, once the pain and anemia improved. Sickle cell disease is a rare disease in Japan, but with globalization, its incidence may increase in the future. It is important to know about acute painful crisis.