Increased activity of 5′nucleotidase in serum of patients with sickle cell anaemia

Abstract

Mohamed A. O., Jansson A., Ronquist G. Increased activity of 5′nucleotidase in serum of patients with sickle cell anaemia. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1993; 53: 701-704

Fifty-nine patients with homozygous sickle cell anaemia, 17 heterozygous individuals and 22 controls were investigated in respect to serum (S) 5′nucleotidase (5′NT, EC 3.1.3.5). The patients showed a significantly higher mean value of S-5′NT compared to the controls. However, this rise was heterogeneous as it occurred only among a subgroup of patients. The heterozygous individuals were not different from either the patients or the controls generating a situation which puts the heterozygous individuals in an intermediate position between the patients and the controls. S-5′NT showed significant correlation with S-bilirubin, S-aspartate aminotransferase, S-alanine aminotransferase and especially S-gammaglutamyl transferase. However, it was not correlated with S-alkaline phosphatase, which is another marker for hepatobiliary disease. These results suggest that the liver involvement in a subgroup of patients with sickle cell anaemia is a mixture of hepatocyte damage and the biliary tree involvement.

Key Words:

• 5′nucleotidase
• aspartate aminotransferase
• bilirubin
• gammaglutamyl transferase
• heterozygous
• homozygous
• liver disease
• serum
• sickle cell anaemia