Iron deficiency and sickle cell anemia

In a patient with sickle cell anemia, iron deficiency was accompanied by hypochromic, microcytic RBCs, absence of bone marrow iron, and a low serum ferritin level. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was decreased (27.6 g/dL) and was associated with an extreme scarcity of sickled er...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchives of internal medicine (1960) Vol. 143; no. 5; p. 1030
Main Authors Rao, K R, Patel, A R, Honig, G R, Vida, L N, McGinnis, P R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.1983
Subjects
Anemia, Hypochromic - blood
Anemia, Hypochromic - complications
Anemia, Hypochromic - drug therapy
Anemia, Sickle Cell - blood
Anemia, Sickle Cell - complications
Bacterial Infections - complications
Ferritins - blood
Ferrous Compounds - therapeutic use
Hemoglobin A - analysis
Hemoglobin, Sickle - analysis
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Oxygen - blood
Postoperative Complications
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Summary:In a patient with sickle cell anemia, iron deficiency was accompanied by hypochromic, microcytic RBCs, absence of bone marrow iron, and a low serum ferritin level. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was decreased (27.6 g/dL) and was associated with an extreme scarcity of sickled erythrocytes in blood smears. Iron therapy resulted in reticulocytosis and an increase in sickled erythrocytes. In vitro studies demonstrated a decrease in sickling of erythrocytes as a function of oxygen saturation of the blood when the patient was iron deficient. The whole blood oxygen dissociation curve showed a substantial decrease in oxygen pressure necessary to produce 50% saturation of hemoglobin at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C (P50), indicating an increased oxygen affinity. These data suggest that a reduction of the MCHC induced by iron deficiency may ameliorate sickling.
ISSN:0003-9926
DOI:10.1001/archinte.1983.00350050194038