Iron profile in sickle cell heterozygous children: A case control study

Abstract

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide & it is an important public health problem in developing countries like India. Normally chronic hemolytic anemia are iron loaded because of excessive breakdown of RBC & increased frequency of blood transfusion, but there is small or no transfusion on sickle cell trait. This study has been done to see the iron profile among sickle cell trait children in western Odisha. To determine the iron profile in children with sickle cell trait & normal healthy controls & compare them. This was a case control study that has been conducted over a period of two years. A total of 202 subjects were included in the study; 102 of them were sickle cell heterozygous & 100 of them were normal healthy controls. Iron deficiency anemia among sickle cell trait & healthy controls were screened using various clinical & laboratory criteria. A total of 202(n=202) study populations comprising of 102 sickle cell trait & 100 normal study populations were screened. A little female preponderance (n=109, 54%) was observed in this study. Abnormalities in blood parameters like MCV, MCH, MCHC, Serum ferritin were found to be statistically significant (p<0.005). Others clinical features like pallor, picophagia, sore tongue, fatigue was also found to be statistically significant (p<0.005). Out of 202 study populations 17 out of 102 sickle cell trait cases & 16 out of 100 normal controls were found to have Iron deficiency anemia. In this study it showed that there were many sickle cell trait patients who were actually iron deficient. These patients should be screened carefully to look for Iron deficiency anemia. Clinical parameters like pallor, fatigue, picophagia, sore tongue & others laboratories parameters like MCV, MCH, MCHC, Serum ferritin were helpful in diagnosing Iron deficiency anemia.