Low dose vitamin C, vitamin E or L-arginine supplementation and sickle cell disease

Abstract

Sickle cell disease is a multi-system disease, associated with episodes of acute illness and progressive organ damage. Many mechanisms contribute to the complex pathophysiology of sickle cell disease. The production of excess free radicals causes damage to several organs including the blood, vascular endothelium and liver. The effect of chronic low-dose supplementation with vitamin C (300mg/day for 6 weeks in adults or 100mg/day for 6 weeks in children) or vitamin E (100 IU/day for 6 weeks in adults) or L-Arginine (1g/day for 6 weeks in adults) in ameliorating the pathophysiology and combating the deleterious effects of sickle cell disease in some cell types and organs of the body are examined in this review.