A Case of Splenic Infarction at High altitude in Sickle Cell Trait
About the author – Dr Alison Cook is a G.P. with a keen interest in expeditions and the medical issues in remote locations. She has attended the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course in Keswick and has worked as an expedition medic for Across the Divide Expeditions in locations diverse as Namibia and Peru. Alison has also worked with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Niger.
In March 2007 an ATD client with undiagnosed sickle cell trait (SCT) suffered a splenic infarction on a high altitude expedition. Although the phenomenon of splenic infarction in SCT at high altitude is well documented, it is a relatively rare event and therefore a worthwhile case to share amongst expedition medics.
Filed under: expedition, Expedition Doctor, Expedition Medicine, wilderness medic, wilderness medicine | Tagged: expedition, High altitude, mountain medicine, peru, Sickle Cell Trait | 5 Comments »
Expedition & Wilderness Medicine 