Affiliations: [a] Sickle Cell Unit, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, W.I.
| [b] Physiology Section, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, W.I.
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Andre S. Bowers, Physiology Section, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica. Tel.: +1 876 977 2560; Fax: +1 876 977 3823; E-mail: andre.bowers02@uwimona.edu.jm.
Abstract: Previous reports differ as to whether a decreased elongation index (EI), a proxy for red blood cell (RBC) deformability, is associated with leg ulcers (LU) in people with homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD). We sought to determine whether erythrocyte deformability (ED) and haematological indices were associated with the presence of LU in patients with SCD. The study design was cross-sectional. Twenty-seven patients with LU and 23 with no history of ulceration were recruited into the study. A laser assisted rotational red cell analyzer was used in the determination of the EI. Haematological indices were determined using a CELL-DYN Ruby haematology analyzer. Data were normally distributed and presented as means±SD. Two-sample t-test was used to test for associations between haemorheological variables in SCD patients with and without LU. Statistical significance was taken as p < 0.05. The EI was significantly lower in the group with ulcers (0.30±0.07 vs. 0.35±0.07, p = 0.02). Haematological indices were comparable in patients with and without LU. Erythrocyte deformability, but not haematological indices, was associated with LU in patients with SCD.
Keywords: Leg ulcer (LU), red blood cell (RBC), RBC deformability (ED), elongation index (EI)
