Secretory Phospholipase A₂ Levels in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Acute Chest Syndrome

Abstract

In a multicenter study (eight centers), we determined secretory phospholipase A₂ (sPLA₂) levels in patients with sickle cell disease and acute chest syndrome (ACS). The diagnosis of ACS was made according to established criteria. The sPLA₂ levels were determined in blood samples collected at baseline (time of diagnosis) and serially thereafter up to day 22–35 follow-up visits. Thirty-four of 43 (80%) patients with ACS had enzyme levels ≥1.00 AU at baseline. The enzyme levels decreased significantly on Days 2 through Days 25–35 after baseline. Nine of 43 (20%) patients had baseline sPLA₂ values of <1.00 AU with six of them never exceeding 1.00 AU at any point in time during follow-up. The data indicate that the reliability of sPLA₂ for predicting the development of ACS is not perfect (100%) as was previously reported but occurs in about 80% of the patients.

Keywords:

• Sickle cell anemia
• Sickle cell disease
• Acute chest syndrome (ACS)
• Secretory phospholipase A₂ (sPLA₂)