Trace elements in sickle cell disease

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Trace elements in 84 adult patients (38 men and 46 women) with sickle cell disease (SCD) were reflected in clinical and biochemical data. Height was retarded in 6 men and 5 women. Eighty percent of the SCD patients in this sample were below the 50th percentile from the normal mean for weight. Twenty-eight men showed a lack of facial and body hair, and 5 additional subjects showed only scanty facial hair. Zn in plasma, red blood cells and hair was decreased but the excretion of Zn in urine was increased in SCD patients as compared to the controls. One of the mechanisms accounting for Zn deficiency in SCD may be hyperzincuria and that growth retardation and hypogonadism in men so commonly seen in SCD may be related to Zn deficiency.