osteomyelitis in the sickle cell patient

Description: Osteomyelitis: - look for OM in multiple areas and in the diaphisis of long bones as compared to the metaphysis in unaffected children; - diagnosis of osteomyelitis: in patients with sickle cell anemia is complicated by the difficulty in distinguishing the syptoms from those of acute bone crisis (bone infarction); - fever, localized or generalized bone pain, & localized erythema, tenderness, & swelling are characteristic of both conditions; - elevated sed rate & high leukocyte count are typical both w/ bone infarction & w/ osteomyelitis; - sickling crisises are thought to be more than 50 times more common than bacterial osteomyelitis; - aspiration of pus from bone confirms dx of osteomyelitis (more)