Some Haemostatic Parameters among Sickle Cell Disease Children during Stable and Crisis States in Sokoto, North Western, Nigeria

Abstract

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a group of blood genetic disorders that result in sickling of Red Blood Cells (RBC) when they are under low oxygen tension due to the mutation in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin (haemoglobin S) found in red blood cells. This case control study was designed to determine the levels of some haemostatic parameters (PT and PTTK) of children with SCD (HbSS) in Sokoto, Nigeria. The subjects for this study included 72 children with SCD (36 in steady state and 36 in crisis). Thirty-six (36) age and gender- matched haemoglobin AA children were monitored as controls. Four and half (4.5ml) of blood was collected from both the SCD subjects (tests) and non-SCD (controls) by venipuncture and delivered into plastic tube containing 0.5ml trisodium citrate. The
anticoagulated blood was centrifuged at 1000g for 10 minutes and the platelet poor plasma was removed and placed in plastic tube which was then used to determine the PTTK and PT manually using the Diagen PTTK and PT Kit (Diagen, Diagnostic Reagents, United
Kingdom). Testing was carried out following the manufacturers’ standard operating procedures and processed at the Haematology Laboratory of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. The mean age of the participants in steady, crisis and
control groups are 7.08±4.4, 8.81±4.0, and 8.17±3.5 years respectively. The results showed that majority of SCD subjects were aged 5-8 years (29.2%), Hausa ethnic group (65.3%) and females (52.8%). The mean PT and PTTK of SCD subjects on steady state (18.8 ± 1.6 and
39.5 ± 1.7 seconds) and on crisis (18.6 ± 1.9 and 39.6 ± 2.0 seconds) were significantly prolonged (p<0.05) compared to those of subjects with HbAA (15.5 ±1.3 and 37.8 ± 1.5 seconds). The mean PT was slightly prolonged in steady group (18.8 ± 1.6) than in crisis
(18.6 ± 1.9) while the mean PTTK was marginally prolonged in crisis (39.6 ± 2.0) than in steady group (39.5 ± 1.7 sec) when compared between the two states. However, both PT and PTTK difference were not statistically significant (p=0.61 and p=0.95). This study showed
that the levels of PT and PTTK are significantly prolonged among SCD subjects when compared with control subjects.