Vitamin E Status and Total Body Water in Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Anemia

Abstract

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder caused by a Hemoglobin gene mutation (HbS), which produces abnormal sickle he- moglobin that causes Red Blood Cells (RBC), to form rigid, sickle or holly-leaf-shaped cells rather than the typical round and flexible shape. These RBC’s are not able to pass through the vessels so less oxygen is transported to tissues, leading to vaso-occlusive pain cri - ses, organ damage, stroke, chronic anemia, decreased quality of life and early death. Nutritional concerns for children with SCD include weight loss and poor growth, delayed puberty, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and fluid imbalance. Several studies have shown that dietary intake falls below recommendations in SCD patients and that plasma levels of certain key vitamins, including vitamin E, are lower than reference values. Children with SCD have low to body water, which could be related, in part, to decreased intake. This study ex - plored vitamin E plasma status, vitamin E and fluid intake, and Total Body Water (TBW) status to determine if any of these variables were low. Each variable was also compared to pain scores to see if there was any correlation. Thirty African American children with SCD (15 female, mean age 12.03) participated in this study. Results showed that patients had decreased vitamin E and fluid intake, decreased corrected plasma vitamin E, and TBW below normal, however none of these factors was associated with pain medications. Further research needs to be conducted with a greater sample size and more pain variables.