title: Pulmonary function studies in sickle cell anaemia.
abstract: Pulmonary studies including the measurements of single-breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL); Forced Vital Capacity (FVC); Residual Volume (RV) and Total Lung Capacity (TLC) were carried out in forty normal subjects; twelve patients with homozygous sickle cell anaemia and five patients with iron deficiency anaemia due to hookworm infestation. Normal subjects had a mean haemoglobin content of 13.4 g per 100 ml and a mean DL value of 28 ml/min/mmHg. In the patients with hookworm anaemia, the mean haemoglobin was 4.9 g per 100 ml while the mean DL value was 9 ml/min per mmHg. Patients with sickle cell anaemia had a mean haemoglobin content of 6.2 g/100 ml yet the mean DL value was 20 ml/min per mmHg. The study showed that patients with homozygous sickle cell anaemia have a disproportionately high DL value in the presence of severe anaemia which might be due to a chronically expanded pulmonary capillary blood volume as a compensatory mechanism to maintain an appropriate level of DL.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000503:physiopathology; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006452:Hemoglobinometry; D006720:Homozygote; D006725:Hookworm Infections / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D014109:Total Lung Capacity; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide