How is sickle cell disease diagnosed ? Explore the advanced diagnostic tests, genetic evaluations, and pre-transplant screenings offered at Liv Hospital Turkey.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Diagnosis and Evaluation
A precise and timely sickle cell diagnosis is the foundation of any successful treatment plan. Because sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that affects the very structure of hemoglobin, diagnostic procedures must go beyond simple blood counts. At Liv Hospital, we utilize high-precision laboratory technologies to identify the specific genotype of the disease and evaluate the health of vital organs.
For our international patients, the evaluation process is two-fold: first, we confirm the exact type of sickle cell disease; second, we perform a “fitness-for-treatment” assessment. This ensures that every patient, whether they are seeking chronic management or a curative stem cell transplant, receives a plan tailored to their unique biological profile.
The most common way to diagnose sickle cell disease is by analyzing the types of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. In a standard clinical setting, this is done through a series of specialized blood tests. At Liv Hospital, we use advanced methodologies to ensure 100% accuracy in identifying the variant of the disease.
The primary tests include:
Since sickle cell disease is inherited, genetic testing provides the “blueprint” of the condition. While protein-based blood tests show us what is happening in the blood now, genetic testing confirms the underlying mutation. This is particularly important for differentiating between severe forms like HbSS and milder variations like HbSC or Sickle Beta-Thalassemia.
At Liv Hospital, genetic evaluation serves several purposes:
A sickle cell diagnosis is not complete until we understand how the disease has affected the rest of the body. Because sickled cells can block blood flow to any organ, we conduct a comprehensive “organ mapping” evaluation. This is a standard part of the intake process for international patients at Liv Hospital.
Common evaluation procedures include:
Traveling for medical care can be daunting, which is why Liv Hospital has streamlined the diagnostic journey for patients coming from the US and elsewhere. Our “Evaluation Week” is designed to be efficient yet exhaustive.
Upon arrival, patients meet with a multidisciplinary team including a hematologist, a cardiologist, and a transplant coordinator. We review all previous medical records and perform fresh diagnostic scans in our JCI-accredited labs. This consolidated approach ensures that we have a 360-degree view of the patient’s health before any major treatment decisions are made. This period also includes a detailed consultation where the results are explained in plain English, ensuring the family is fully empowered.
If the initial sickle cell diagnosis and organ screening suggest that the disease is progressing despite medication, we move to a pre-transplant evaluation. This is a highly specialized set of tests to determine if the patient is a candidate for a curative bone marrow transplant.
Key components of this evaluation include:
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Yes, prenatal diagnosis is possible through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS). This allows parents to know if the baby will have the disease or the trait before birth.
The diagnosis requires a standard blood draw from a vein, which involves a brief sting. For children, we use numbing creams to make the process as comfortable as possible.
Basic blood tests like electrophoresis are usually available within 24-48 hours. More complex genetic testing or HLA matching may take 1-2 weeks.
The genetic diagnosis (your genotype) never changes. However, the clinical “evaluation” of your health such as the status of your organs changes constantly, which is why regular check-ups are vital.
We review all previous records to understand your medical history, but we typically perform our own specialized tests upon arrival to ensure our surgical and hematological teams have the most current data.
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
