Comparison of Copper, Zinc, Iron and Calcium Levels in Plasma and Hemolysate of Steady State Sickle Cell Anemia Patients with Carriers

Objective: Copper, zinc, iron and calcium levels in the blood samples of sickle cell anemia patients and carriers living in Mersin were analyzed and compared with each other in this study. It was aimed to present the alteration in the ion levels, namely zinc, copper, iron and calcium, in sickle cell anemia. Material and methods: 15 sickle cell anemia patients with stable clinics within the last two months and 13 carriers were included in the study. Ion levels were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the samples separated as plasma and hemolysate. Results: Plasma zinc levels were similar between patients and carriers whereas zinc levels in the hemolysate of the patients were higher than carriers (p=0.011). Copper levels of patients were higher in the plasmas (p=0.013), and lower in the hemolysates (p=0.000) compared to the carriers. Iron levels were lower in patients than carriers in the plasma (p=0.001) and similar between two groups in the hemolysate. Calcium levels of the patients were higher than the carriers in both the plasma and hemolysate (p=0.013 and p=0.003). Conclusion: In this preliminary study it was observed that the plasma and hemolysate medium of sickle cell anemia patients is different from carriers except plasma zinc levels. It will be useful to investigate a larger population of patients with different clinical presentations to understand the situation of the ions, their interactions and impacts on the organism in sickle cell anemia.