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Published:
Nov 7, 2019DOI:
10.4314/ahs.v19i3.56Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Serum levels of copper, zinc and disease severity scores in sickle cell disease patients in Benin City, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Micronutrient deficiency is recognized in sickle cell anaemia (SCA) but it is not known for certain whether changes in zinc, copper and copper-to-zinc ratio are associated with Sickle cell disease severity scores.
Objective: To compare serum levels of copper, zinc and copper-to-zinc ratio in SCA subjects with control group and correlate the variables with objective disease severity scores.
Methods: Serum copper and zinc were determined in 100 SCA patients and 50 controls using kits supplied by Centronic, Germany. Unpaired Students’t-test was used to compare the variables between SCA patients in steady clinical state, vaso-occlusive crisis and controls, while Spearman correlation coefficient was used to associate the parameters with disease severity scores.
Results: Serum copper level was higher (P=0.008) in SCA patients than controls, while serum zinc level was lower (P<0.001) in SCA patients than controls. The copper/zinc ratio was higher (P<0.001) in SCA patients than controls. Significantly higher (P<0.001) copper and lower (P<0.001) zinc levels were observed in patients in vaso-occlusive crisis than in steady clinical state. Zinc correlated inversely (r=-0.2743; P=0.006) while copper-to-zinc ratio correlated positively with disease severity scores.
Conclusion: Copper-to-zinc ratio may be an indicator of disease severity in SCA patients.
Keywords: Copper/zinc ratio, disease severity score, sickle cell anaemia.
