Abstract

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy occurring in many parts of the world including Indian sub–continent. In SCD, there is many pathological changes occurring in body and it leads to many clinical complications and alteration in biochemical parameters which may lead to worsen SCD. Thus on this background this study of the correlation between clinical & biochemical parameters with lipid abnormalities in sickle cell disease was planned.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from February 2016 to October 2017 at MGM Medical College and MY Hospital Indore, MP, which included 50 SCD patients and 50 healthy, age, and sex matched controls.

Results: In this study, total bilirubin was between 1-3mg/dl in 27 patients in which increased and normal triglycerides (TG) were found in 11 and 16 patients respectively and total bilirubin more than 3mg/dl was found in 7 patients with increased TG and 7 patients with normal TG. A ‘p value’ for total bilirubin was found to be 0.146 i.e. there is no effect of increased triglycerides on total bilirubin. Total bilirubin was in between 1-3mg/dl in 27 patients and all patients had decreased total cholesterol (TC) and bilirubin level more than 3mg/dl was found in 14 patients out of which 13 patients had decreased TC. A ‘p value’ for total bilirubin is found to be 0.026 i.e. there is significant effect of decreased cholesterol on total bilirubin. A ‘p value’ for LDH is found to be 0.724 i.e. there is no effect of decreased cholesterol on LDH. LDH was between 140-280U/L in 7 patients with increased TG and 6 patients with normal TG and LDH was more than 280U/L in 16 patients with increased TG and 17 patients with normal TG. A ‘p value’ for LDH is found to be 0.546 i.e. there is no effect of increased TG on LDH.

Conclusions: On the basis of our study, it can be concluded that in sickle cell disease patients, decreased total cholesterol can be associated with clinically significant increased in total bilirubin levels and there is no effect of increased TG on bilirubin levels. Further studies in large number of patients in advised to include or exclude above findings.

Keywords: Lactate dehydrogenase, Sickle cell anemia, Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides.