Stroke

• According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the biggest complications occurring from sickle cell anemia is stroke. Sickle cells can become trapped within an area of your brain. A stroke can be fatal without treatment. Symptoms of a stroke include numbness or weakness of your limbs, speech difficulties that occur suddenly, seizures or paralysis on one side of the body.
  
  

Acute Chest Syndrome

• Acute chest syndrome can cause serious complications that can turn deadly without treatment. You may begin to experience fever and chest pain and have difficulty in breathing. If you develop acute chest syndrome, it may be due to an infection within your lungs or from blocked sickle cells in the blood vessels of your lungs. If you continually develop the condition, your lungs can become permanently damaged.
  
  

Pulmonary Hypertension

• According to the Mayo Clinic, nearly one-third of people who have sickle cell anemia will develop a condition known as pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is the occurrence of high blood pressure within your lungs. When you have the condition, you'll suffer from dyspnea, or shortness of breath, whether you're exerting yourself or resting. Other symptoms can include feeling tired, fainting, feeling chest pain, having heart palpitations, swelling within your lower legs and blue lips. Eventually, prolonged symptoms of pulmonary hypertension can lead to heart failure.
  
  

Organ Damage

• Organs can become deprived of oxygen when sickle cells block blood vessels. Blood also becomes chronically deprived of oxygen. If your organs are continuously deprived of oxygen-rich blood, nerve damage and organ damage will result. If your organs become severely damaged, death from kidney failure, liver failure or spleen failure can result.
  
  

Infections

• When you have sickle cell anemia, you are unable to ward off infections. According to the Gene Gateway-Exploring Genes and Genetic Disorders, children and infants are more prone to infections. These infections can lead to death in as little as nine hours when your child develops a fever. Infections in sickle cell anemia occur as the result of your spleen being damaged by sickled cells. The spleen becomes ineffective in the battle against infections.
  
  

Other Complications

• Blindness can occur because of damage to your retinas. Ulcers can form on your legs. Jaundice can occur due to the breakdown of your red blood cells. Bilirubin is created, which causes the yellowing of your skin and eyes. If you develop a high amount of bilirubin, you can develop gallstones. In men, a rare condition known as priapism can occur. Priapism is the development of painful erections. According to the Mayo Clinic, if a blockage from sickle cells occurs within the penis, this can lead to potential impotence or damage of the penis.