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Previous Volume 330:783-784 March 17, 1994 Number 11 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Pain is such a regular feature of sickle cell anemia that in some African languages the disease is referred to as "a state of suffering." Biopsies in patients with severe acute bone pain reveal that the underlying lesion is marrow necrosis with infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

To borrow an analogy from the heart, mild, brief, "anginal" episodes of pain reflect limited ischemia, and more severe episodes reflect infarction and necrosis. Although patients with either myocardial infarction or the severe pain of a sickle cell crisis typically require narcotic analgesia, there is no equivalent of nitroglycerin, thrombolysis, angioplasty, or bypass surgery . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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