Sickle cell disease is an autosomic recessive hereditary hemoglobin disorder, associated with episodes of acute pain and progressive organ damage with great impact on a patient’s life expectancy and quality of life. Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is a well-known complication of sickle cell disease affecting almost 25% of adult patients and just in 12% of pediatric patients. Below is the case of a 9-year-old male patient with sickle cell disease, who on a control appointment reported 15 days of hip pain and gait claudication. After performing radiological studies, avascular necrosis of the femoral head was diagnosed, becoming the first case documented at the National Children Hospital of Costa Rica of avascular necrosis of the femoral head as a complication in a pediatric patient with sickle cell disease.

Keywords: Sickle cell disease; avascular necrosis of the femoral head.