A study of serum calcium and enzyme concentrations in patients with sickle cell disease

Aim: Assesment of serum Calcium and enzyme concentrations in sickle cell disease in patients nearKing George Hospital in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The levels are in blood samples during stable state as well as during the crises state. The values are compared clinincal manifestations during in both conditions of Sickle cell patients. Methods: 50 sickle cell patients were selected for study and blood samples for estimation of Serum calcium, uric acid, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and haemoglobin and also estimated in 28 of these patients during the Crises. 30 Normal persons were taken as control. Results: Serum calcium tended to be lower in sickle cell patients than in healthy controls, while uric acid was higher. Crises did not make any difference to serum calcium but they increased the uric acid level significantly. All the other variables measured were significantly abnormal and more so during crises. Conclusions: The variations in these cases compared to normal controls and also increase in their levels during Crises could be having Diagnostic value as well as for monitoring the disease in these patients (Nduka et al., 1995).