Polyostotic Osteomyelitis in a Sickle Cell Anemia Patient

Abstract

This is a case presentation of a successfully managed 18‑year‑old female sickle cell disease (SCD) patient with radiologically confirmed multifocal osteomyelitis with associated soft‑tissue swellings and chronic leg ulcer. However, blood culture and the culture of soft tissue swellings yielded no growth of organisms, but microscopy showed numerous pus cells. The patient was not under follow‑up in any hospital before presentation and freely uses off‑the‑counter drugs. She was transfused with 3 units of packed cells in a general hospital 6 months before presentation to our tertiary facility. Long course of potent antibiotics and surgical drainage of pus by orthopedic surgeons resulted in good outcome, and the patient is being followed up. In essence, this case has brought into the open the need for high index of suspicion, multidisciplinary approach, a need for possible sensitive serologic and molecular technique in the identification of culprit organism, and most importantly a great need for each SCD patient to submit themselves to available specialist care in their respective vicinities.