Alteration of Leptin and C-Peptide Status in Homozygous Sickle Cell Anaemia

The study was carried out to determine the level of leptin and C-peptide in sickle cell anemia. Thirty confirmed sickle cell patients in steady state(HbSS-SS) and thirty normal haemoglobin (HbAA) as well as sixteen sickle cell disease in crises(HbSS-cr) between the ages of 15 to 30 years were selected in this study. Leptin and C-peptide were measured by commercially available ELISA kits. The results obtained showed that the levels of leptin and C-peptide in Sickle cell anaemia patients were significantly elevated when compared with HbAA subjects (P<0.05). However, the level of leptin and C-peptide in sickle cell steady state were highly significant when compared with those in crisis(P<0.05). This may probably implies that leptin and C-peptide decrease could enhance sickle cell crisis. Also, it could provide the understanding of the possible role of leptin and C-peptide in the pathophysiology of sickle cell anaemia.