Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins in Sickle Cell Disease Patients in the Northern West Bank, Palestine

Background. Lipid metabolism may be altered in red cell genetic disorders. The erythrocyte and plasma lipids are defected which
may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the present study, we hypothesized a possible link between severity of anemia
and altered lipid profile in SCD. Methods. A total of 151 SCD patients, including 62 patients with sickle cell anemia (SS), 54
patients with sickle β-thalassemia (ST), and 35 individuals with sickle cell trait (AS), were studied. The control group consisted
of 160 healthy individuals. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were
enzymatically measured. Results. Total cholesterol and LDL-C were significantly lower (P value 0.001) in SS and ST patients
compared to AS individuals and AA controls. However, LDL-C was significantly lower in AS individuals (both males and
female) compared to AA controls (P value 0.001). The HDL-C in SS and ST patients (both males and females) was
significantly lower than that in AS individuals (P value 0.001). In addition, the HDL-C was significantly higher in SS and ST
males and AS (males and females) compared to AA controls (P value 0.001). The HDL-C was also significantly higher in SS
males (P value 0.001) and females (P value 0.05) compared to ST patients. The HDL-C was significantly higher in AS
individuals (P value 0.001) compared to AA controls. The triglycerides in SS males was significantly lower than that in ST
patients (P value 0.001), but there was no significant difference when compared to AS individuals and AA controls. In
contrast, triglycerides in SS females were significantly lower than those in ST (P value 0.05), AS (P value 0.001), and AA
controls (P value 0.001). In males of ST patients, triglycerides were significantly higher than those observed in AS males and
AA males (P value 0.001). In contrast, females of ST patients have a significantly lower triglycerides compared to AS and AA
females (P value 0.001). Conclusions. In SCD, the plasma is affected in some way, especially the plasma cholesterol that was
investigated in this study. Further prospective studies should examine the contribution of an altered lipid profile to the severity
and clinical complications in SCD patients.