Well, my thread has taken an interesting and important twist that I had not intended.
The correct answer was sickle cell anemia(congrats A.M.) with an acute sickle cell crisis(pain) beginning to occur.
- Genetic condition commonly affecting African race
- anemia/jaundice/spleen and liver damage
- Small stature/failure to thrive due to constant low RBC
- poor wound healing
- #1 cause of early death in untreated SC juveniles is secondary bacterial infection
- present since birth, not an acute illness
Malaria can have most of these signs too. Coincidently, having the sickle cell trait actually gives partial immunity to malaria which is the reason Darwin's laws haven't removed sickle cell from the population over the centuries.
If we encounter this dilemna in the field, how can one attempt to differentiate the two illnesses from one another?
Then we can cover what pallative treatments should be given to someone experienccing a sickle cell crisis.