Sickling syndromes in children

The sickle cell syndromes comprise a highly diverse group of disorders which have in common the presence of sickle hemoglobin in the blood erythrocytes. The establishment of a precise diagnoffort involving both the patient and his family, but because of the important differences in prognosis and management of these various syndromes, an accurate diagnosis is of fundamental importance. Definitive therapy has not yet been developed for any of these disorders, but with the application of available forms of treatment these patients can be benefited substantially.