Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion

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Browsing Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion by Subject "Alpha thalassemia"

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    Open Access
    Association of alpha-thalassemia and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in Nigerian children with sickle cell anemia
    (Wiley Periodicals, LLC, 2021) Ojewunmi, OO; Adeyemo, TA; Oyetunji, AI; Benn, Y; EKPO, MG; Iwalokun, BA
    Background: Stroke is a devastating complication of sickle cell anemia (SCA) and can be predicted through abnormally high cerebral blood flow velocity using transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography (TCD). The evidence on the role of alpha-thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in the development of stroke in children with SCA is conflicting. Thus, this study investigated the association of alpha-thalassemia and G6PD(A−) variant with abnormal TCD velocities among Nigerian children with SCA. Methods: One hundred and forty-one children with SCA were recruited: 72 children presented with normal TCD (defined as the time-averaged mean of the maximum velocity: < 170 cm/s) and 69 children with abnormal TCD (TAMMV ≥ 200 cm/s). Alpha-thalassemia (the α-3.7 globin gene deletion) was determined by multiplex gap-PCR, while G6PD polymorphisms (202G > A and 376A > G) were genotyped using restriction fragment length polymorphism—polymerase chain reaction. Results: The frequency of α-thalassemia trait in the children with normal TCD was higher than those with abnormal TCD: 38/72 (52.8%) [α-/α α: 41.7%, α -/α -:11.1%] versus 21/69 (30.4%) [α-/α α: 27.5%, α -/α -:2.9%], and the odds of abnormal TCD were reduced in the presence of the α-thalassemia trait [Odds Ratio: 0.39, 95% confidence interval: 0.20–0.78, p = 0.007]. However, the frequencies of G6PDA− variant in children with abnormal and normal TCD were similar (11.6% vs. 15.3%, p = 0.522). Conclusion: Our study reveals the protective role of α-thalassemia against the risk of abnormal TCD in Nigerian children with SCA.