A Rare Case of Sickle Cell Anemia Crisis Triggered by Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria

Abstract

Malaria is a common public health problem in Sub-Saharan African countries such as Niger and one child dies every two minutes due to this disease. Although the defense mechanism is not clear, sickle cells are 90% protective especially for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In Niger, malaria is among the first to be considered in patients admitted to the emergency departments (EDs) with high fever. It is important for physicians to resolve the clinical manifestation in a patient who admits due to acute abdominal pain and high fever in a hospital with limited facilities. Failure to provide information about the patient’s history and admission to the ED alone led to a delay of diagnosis and treatment of this rare coexistence.