Hematological Characteristics of a Sample of Iraqi Patients with Sickle Cell Anemia and Their Correlation with Age and Gender

Abstract

Background: Characterization of hematological parameters in patients with sickle cell anemia can direct treatment goals toward strategies reducing morbidity and mortality rate.Objective: To evaluate the hematological parameters in a subset of Iraqi patients with sickle cell anemia in relation to age and gender. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was included 30 patients with sickle cell anemia who were known to be at a steady clinical state with no vaso-occlusive crises. About 5 ml of venous blood was collected in EDTA tube from each participant. The complete blood count was conducted according to standard protocol. Results: The mean age was 7.93 ±2.43 years and the age range was 4 to 12 years. The study included 17 males and 13 females. 29 (96.7 %) were anemic and there was no significant difference in mean hemoglobin levels between males and females (p = 0.838). Males demonstrated higher frequency of low mean cell volume (MCV) and mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) (64.7% and 58.8%, respectively) than females (7.7% and 7.7%, respectively) with highly significant differences. Conclusion: Some hematological parameters in patients with sickle disease are affected by gender but show no significant correlation to age. Keywords: Hematological characteristics, Sickle cell anemia, Iraq