The heart in sickle cell disease

Cardiovascular abnormalities are often apparent in sickle cell disease, as in other chronic anaemias. Tissue oxygen extraction and cardiac output are increased, while the activated endothelium along with the sickling process and the vaso-occlusion of the small blood vessels strain further the cardiovascular system. Evidence for a specific myocardial lesion attributable to the sickle cell disease is ambiguous through different studies. This article attempts to review the literature about cardiac disease in sickle cell anaemia.