LIPID PROFILE AND DISEASE SEVERITY IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE PATIENTS IN LAGOS STATE. NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Background: Sickle cell anaemia is an autosomal recessive disorder that arises due to the substitution of glutamic acid with valine. This occurs at position 6 of the haemoglobin b chain, resulting in the synthesis of abnormal haemoglobin and the consequent production of the characteristic sickled red blood cells. Studies have documented several alterations in lipid homeostasis in this population. Both hyper and hypolipidaemias are known to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality and it is therefore imperative to evaluate their relationships with sickle cell anaemia. Aim: The aim of this study was to establish baseline serum lipid levels in sickle cell anaemia patients in LASUTH and correlate this with severity scores in the patients. Subjects and Methods: Serum Total cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), Low-density lipoproteins (LDL), High-density lipoproteins (HDL) and Very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) were measured in 57 Haemoglobin SS (HbSS) patients in steady state. All patients used had been fasting for at least 10 hours prior to sample collection. The LDL/HDL was also calculated. Their disease severity was calculated using an objective scoring method. Results: Our results showed that there was no significant correlation between serum lipid levels and disease severity score. Keywords: sickle cell disease, serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, disease severity