Elevated plasma D-dimer levels in children with sickle cell anemia in steady state attending state specialist hospital Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) has been linked with altered plasma levels of D-dimer. However, routine assessment of D-dimer and other coagulation indices in SCA patients are rarely carried out. The aim of this study was to determine the mean plasma levels of D-dimer and other coagulation indices in children with SCA in a steady state and them with with that of healthy HbAA genotype controls. Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study involving 40 children with SCA in steady state and 40 healthy HbAA genotype controls. Plasma D-dimer, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and platelet count were determined using appropriate laboratory techniques. Data analysis was by JMP software. Independent t-test was used to determine the difference in quantitative variables between SCA patients and controls. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean ages of the SCA patients and controls were 13.98 ± 6.71 and 13.85 ± 7.45, respectively. The SCA patients had longer mean PT (20.48 ± 6.51 vs. 13.89 ± 2.13, P = 0.0001) and aPTT (40.91 ± 9.08 vs. 32.63 ± 4.44, P = 0.0001) compared to the controls. Similarly, the SCA patients had higher platelet count (449.70 ± 162.87 vs. 302.58 ± 83.34 × 109/L, P = 0.0001) and plasma D-dimer (3.18 ± 2.72 mg/L vs. 0.29 ± 0.52 mg/L, P = 0.0001) compared to the controls. Equally, 98% of the SCA patients had high plasma D-dimer. Conclusion: The SCA patients had higher plasma D-dimer and platelet count and longer PT and aPTT compared to controls.