title: Splenic function in sickle-cell diseases.
abstract: Studies of splenic function were carried out on patients with sickle-cell diseases by the measurement of the clearance of autologous heat-damaged 99mTc-labelled erythrocytes from circulation and into the spleen, the spleen area by a scintillation scanning, the enumeration of pitted erythrocytes by direct-interference microscopy, and the percentage of irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) and of cells with Howell-Jolly bodies. All measurements were performed in seven HbS homozygotes, 10 patients with sickle cell beta(0)-thalassaemia (S/beta(0)-thalassaemia), three patients with sickle-cell disease (SC), four AS heterozygotes and 17 controls. Three different patterns of splenic function were observed among the 20 patients with symptomatic sickle-cell diseases: six patients had enlarged hyperactive spleens, four had enlarged hypoactive spleens, and in 10 patients no splenic activity was detected. The percentage of ISC was higher in sickle-cell anaemia than in S/beta (0)-thalassaemia and very low in SC patients. These results would suggest that the spleen goes through similar successive functional stages in the sickle-cell diseases, namely enlargement in the early years of life, which is followed by hypoactivity and finally atrophy. This evolution seems to be faster in sickle-cell anaemia than in S/beta(0)-thalassaemia and SC disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004908:Erythrocyte Inclusions / Q000473:pathology; D004913:Erythrocytes, Abnormal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013154:Spleen / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013667:Technetium; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium