Intracellular hemoglobin S polymerization and the clinical severity of sickle cell anemia

Recent work has enabled us to quantitate the four variables (2,3-DPG concentration, phi, non-S hemoglobin composition, end O2 saturation) that modulate the equilibrium solubility (c(sat)) of Hb S inside sickle erythrocytes (SS RBCs). Using measured values of mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), 2,3-DPG concentration, and %Hb (F+A2), along with estimates of pH1 and the Δ(sat) due to partial oxygenation of SS RBCs in the microcirculation, we calculated the mean polymer fraction (f(p)) in erythrocytes from 46 SS homozygotes. Values of f(p) derived from the conservation of mass equation ranged from 0.30 to 0.59. MCHC and %Hb F were major determinants of the magnitude of f(p); 2,3-DPG concentration and phi also contributed, but to s lesser extent. A clinical severity score (CSS) was assigned to each patient based on mean hospitalization rate. There was a weak, but statistically significant, negative correlation between f(p) end steady state hematocrit (P = .017), but none between f(p) and whole blood hemoglobin concentration (P = .218). Although there was no correlation between f(p) end mean number of hospitalization days per year, patients with the greatest number of admissions and hospitalization days ware found only among those who had an f(p) \u3e 0.45. All five patients who died during the follow-up period (median, 7 years; range, 3 to 10 years) had f(p) values ≤0.48. However, patients with few admissions, low hospitalization days, and long survivals occurred at all f(p) levels. These results suggest that the clinical course of homozygous SS disease cannot be predicted by mean f(p) calculations, which assume a homogeneous distribution of the five variables that modulate intraerythrocytic polymerization. A heterogeneous distribution is more likely; so the amount of polymerized Hb S could vary considerably among cell populations. Factors such as membrane abnormalities and endothelial cell interactions may also contribute to clinical severity