Cytokine Expression in Homozygous Sickle Cell Anaemia

Background: Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited disease in which the red blood cells become rigid and sticky, and change from being disc-shaped to being crescent-shaped. The change in shape is due to the presence of an abnormal form of haemoglobin. This results in severe pain and damage to some organs. Aim and Objective: The study was carried out to determine the levels of cytokine in sickle cell anemia. Material and Methods: Thirty confirmed sickle cell patients in steady state (HbSS-SS) and thirty persons with normal haemoglobin (HbAA) as well as sixteen sickle cell disease in crises (HbSS-cr) between the ages of 15 to 30 years were selected in this study. Cytokines including interleukin 1 beta (IL- 1β), interleukin 2 (IL- 2), interleukin (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interferon gamma (IFN- λ) were measured by commercially available ELISA kits. Results: The results obtained showed that the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in sickle cell anaemia patients in crisis were significantly elevated when compared with sickle cell in steady state (P<0.05). Similarly, the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN- λ were significantly increased in sickle cell anaemia stable state when compared to HbAA subjects (P<0.05). Conclusion: This may probably implies that cytokine imbalance is implicated in the pathogenesis of sickle cell crisis. Also, cytokines could be used as an inflammatory marker as well as related marker in disease severity and hence therapeutic intervention