10 General Symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia

3. Yellowish skin

The typical lifespan of a healthy red blood cell is around 120 days. But in sickle cell anemia, the lifespan becomes much shorter. When a red blood cell "dies," it gives off a substance called bilirubin. Increased destruction of a vast number of red blood cells results in increased levels of bilirubin in the blood. When this released bilirubin reaches a certain threshold, it causes the skin of the child and the whites of his eyes to have a yellowish shade, and this is often called "jaundice."