Although hematologic changes indicative of the disorder are evident as early as the age of 10 weeks, clinical characteristics of SCD generally do not appear until the second half of the first year of life, when fetal Hb levels decline sufficiently for abnormalities caused by HbS to manifest. SCD then persists for the entire lifespan. After age 10 years, rates of painful crises decrease, but rates of complications increase.
For more on the epidemiology of SCD, read here.
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Cite this: Emmanuel C. Besa. Fast Five Quiz: Are You Prepared to Confront Sickle Cell Disease? - Medscape - Feb 18, 2016.
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