Current observations on sickle cell genotype in Nigeria.

The haematological indices and clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients were investigated in a combined group of male and female Nigerians, and the results were matched against those from non-SCD individuals. Haemoglobin concentrations (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC) and packed cell volume (PCV) were significantly lower in the haemoglobin SS (HbSS) individuals than in the haemoglobin AS (HbAS) and haemoglobin AA (HbAA) individuals. White cell count (WBC) was of course higher in the HbSS patients as was the foetal haemoglobin (HbF) also. The clinical investigations show a 16% incidence of leg ulceration amongst the SCD patients and a 25% incidence of 'crisis state' requiring blood transfusion. Comparison of these findings with those obtained for Jamaicans and Saudi Arabian sickle cell patients show several differences indicating a milder disease in the Nigerian than the Jamaicans.