Increased levels of soluble P-selectin correlate with iron overload in sickle cell disease.
Homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterised by increased soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), suggesting increased platelet activation, and high non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI), reflecting iron overload, possibly due to blood transfusion. Hypothesising a relationship between these processes, we measured both markers in 40 SCD patients and 40 age/gender/race-matched controls, finding increased levels of each marker in the patients (both P<0.001), but more pertinently a significant NTBI/sP-selectin correlation (r=0.52, P<0.001). Both indices were increased in the blood of 15 recently-transfused patients compared with 25 three-month transfusion-free patients (P<0.001), but only sP-selectin was higher in present sickle crisis (P<0.001). We suggest that increased NTBI associated with blood transfusion iron overload in SCD may promote platelet activation.
Blann
A D
AD
Department of Haematology, City Hospital, Birmingham, B18 7QH, UK. a.blann@bham.ac.uk
Marwah
S S
SS
Cobley
A J
AJ
Bareford
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D019007:P-Selectin; D014168:Transferrin; D007501:Iron