# Digestive autoimmune diseases mimicking gastrointestinal manifestations in children with sickle cell anemia: A report of three cases

## TL;DR

This paper reports three cases where children with sickle cell anemia also had digestive autoimmune diseases, highlighting the difficulty in distinguishing these conditions.

## Contribution

The study emphasizes the under-recognized challenge of diagnosing digestive autoimmune diseases in pediatric sickle cell anemia patients.

## Key findings

- Three pediatric SCA cases had delayed DAD diagnoses due to overlapping symptoms.
- Autoimmune hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease were identified in SCA patients.
- Early recognition of DAD in SCA can improve treatment outcomes.

## Abstract

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic disorder that presents with a variety of systemic complications, including gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations. These GI symptoms can overlap with those of digestive autoimmune diseases (DAD) such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), complicating the diagnosis and management. This study presents three cases of SCA patients diagnosed with DAD, highlighting the diagnostic challenges and therapeutic outcomes. Our goal is to stress how abdominal symptoms in SCA can mask the presence of DAD, leading to potential misdiagnoses. We review the implications of these findings in clinical practice and compare them to the literature to emphasize the importance of recognizing and differentiating these conditions to avoid delays in treatment.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) often presents with gastrointestinal symptoms that complicate diagnosis.Digestive autoimmune diseases are rare but significant complications in pediatric SCA.Differentiating abdominal symptoms related to SCA from autoimmune gastrointestinal diseases can be challenging.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) often presents with gastrointestinal symptoms that complicate diagnosis.

Digestive autoimmune diseases are rare but significant complications in pediatric SCA.

Differentiating abdominal symptoms related to SCA from autoimmune gastrointestinal diseases can be challenging.

Significant delays in diagnosing co‐occurring digestive autoimmune diseases were observed in three pediatric SCA cases. This was attributed to symptom overlap that complicated differentiation from medication side effects or vaso‐occlusive crises.Emphasizes the importance of recognizing autoimmune hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease in pediatric patients with SCA.Provides insights to enhance differential diagnosis and reduce therapeutic delays in SCA cases with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms.

Significant delays in diagnosing co‐occurring digestive autoimmune diseases were observed in three pediatric SCA cases. This was attributed to symptom overlap that complicated differentiation from medication side effects or vaso‐occlusive crises.

Emphasizes the importance of recognizing autoimmune hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease in pediatric patients with SCA.

Provides insights to enhance differential diagnosis and reduce therapeutic delays in SCA cases with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms.