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Abstract
Background
Effective treatment and management of sickle cell disease (SCD) has been a challenge in Africa over the years. Hematological parameters are very useful profiles in the effective management of the disease. However, there is scarcity of studies on the hematological parameters of SCD in Ghana. This study aimed at determining hematological parameters among SCD patients with vaso-occlusion, those in the steady state as well as healthy controls at a teaching hospital in Ghana.
Methodology
This was a cross-sectional study involving a total of 628 subjects, including 148 HbAA controls, 208 HbSS patients in steady state, 82 HbSC patients in steady state, 156 HbSS patients in vaso-occlusive crises (VOC), and 34 HbSC patients in VOC. Venous blood sample was collected from all study participants. A full blood count was done within 2 hours of collection, and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume, red blood cell (RBC) concentration, mean corpuscular Hb, mean cell volume, mean corpuscular Hb concentration, and white blood cells (WBC) and platelet (PLT) counts were recorded.
Results
WBC and PLT counts were significantly higher in both female and male patients with SCD, compared with their healthy counterparts (P<0.05). The level of WBC was, however, significantly higher in patients with HbSS VOC among the SCD patients (P<0.001). Levels of Hb, RBC, and hematocrit were significantly higher in the controls (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in mean cell Hb among male patients with SCD (P=0.274) and female patients with SCD (P=0.5410).
Conclusion
The SCD patients had lower Hb and RBC than the controls; however, higher PLT and WBC are noted in various status of SCD, possibly reflecting spleen effect in these patients. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), University of Ghana, and the University of Ghana-Carnegie Next Generation of Academics in Africa Project for funding the research. The authors are also grateful to the staff and patients of the Center for Clinical Genetics (Sickle Cell Clinic) who took part in the study. Also, the authors would like to thank the volunteers who donated blood and consented to take part in the study as control subjects at the Accra Area Blood Center for National Blood Transfusion at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. The research was funded by the ORID, University of Ghana, and the University of Ghana-Carnegie Next Generation of Academics in Africa.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.