Table 1.
Daytime pulse oximetry data, haematological and haemolytic indices and iron status in Tanzanian SCA and non-SCA children.
| Variable | SCA children with daytime oximetry (N = 458) | Non-SCA children with daytime oximetry (N = 394) |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse oximetry | ||
| Median daytime SpO2 (%) | 97 (IQ range 94–99) | 99 (IQ range 98–100)*** |
| Haematology | ||
| Mean hemoglobin* (g/dL) | 7.4 (SD 1.17) | 10.9 (SD 2.2)*** |
| Mean red cell count × 10−9 | 2.89 (SD 0.66) | 4.71 (SD 0.86)*** |
| Mean cell hemoglobin concentration (g/dL) | 31.9 (SD 1.52) | 32.3 (SD 1.60)** |
| Mean cell hemoglobin (pg/cell) | 26.1 (SD 3.31) | 23.6 (SD 3.86)*** |
| Mean cell volume* (fL) | 79.5 (SD 15.28) | 73.1 (SD 9.21)*** |
| Median reticulocyte % (N = 440/335) | 12.8 (IQ range 9.1–16.4) | 2.4 (IQ range 0.8–6.7)*** |
| Median hemoglobin F (Hb%) (N = 316/60)† | 4.7 (IQ range 2.8–7.9) | 0.6 (IQ range 0.2–1.0)*** |
| Haemolytic markers | ||
| Median lactate dehydrogenase (IU) (N = 427/340) | 762 (533–1121) | 498 (367–671)*** |
| Median unconjugated bilirubin (μmol/L) (N = 417/181) | 33.3 (IQ range 18.2–61.1) | 7.2 (IQ range 3.5–12.5)*** |
| Iron status | ||
| Median transferrin saturation (%) (N = 458/62) | 20.9 (IQ range 15.4–27.7) | 14.9 (IQ range 9.1–25.3)** |
| Median serum iron (μmol/L) (N = 458/62) | 11.5 (SD 5.7) (range 8.6–14.9) | 10.0 (SD 8.5) (range 5.8–17.2) |
| Mean serum TIBC (μmol/L) (N = 458/62) | 55.3 (SD 10.9) (range 47.7–62.75) | 70.5 (SD 22.3) (range 50.4–84.3)*** |
| Iron deficiency transferrin saturation < 16% | 126/458 (27.5%) | 32/62 (51.6%)*** |
†Within the SCA children, HbF% was not assessed at the same time point as the hematology and SpO2 data and was limited to children older than 5 years at the time of measurement of HbF% & SpO2. HbF% was available for some non-SCA children and was measured at the same time point as the SpO2.
*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.