Introduction:

Hemoglobin S disease is a hereditary chronic hemolytic anemia whose clinical manifestations come from the tendency of this hemoglobin to polymerize and deform erythrocytes, giving the typical crescent, banana, sickle cell or "sickle cell" shape; hence the name sickle cell anemia or sicklemia.

Objective:

To describe the new molecular and pathophysiological aspects and the diagnosis of sickle cell anemia.

Methods:

A literature review was carried out, in English and Spanish, through PubMed website and Google academic search engine for articles published in the last 10 years. An analysis and summary of the revised bibliography was made.

Conclusions:

Understanding the complexity and multiplicity of events that lead to serious complications in sickle cell anemia and our inability to predict the clinical course in each particular case would help preventing these events.

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