1 Department of Hematology of the Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
2 Department of Radiology of the Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
3 Department of Hematology, Division of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.
Excretory urography in 18 children with sickle cell anemia revealed a high incidence of renal enlargement and collecting system deformity. Sterile pyuria and modest elevations of blood urea nitrogen were less common findings. With one exception none of the patients had histories of genitourinary symptoms or signs.
It is probable that the majority of kidney damage in sickle cell states, including the changes noted here, is the result of intravascular sickling in the renal medulla. The findings herein reported emphasize that gross medullary damage is not necessarily attended by genitourinary signs in sickle cell disease.
Submitted on July 8, 1964