Table 1. Effects of gender on haemorheological parameters in SS and SC patients.

	SS		SC
	Males (n = 122)	Females (n = 145)	Males (n = 67)	Females (n = 71)
HbF (%)	7.5 ± 6.4	13.2 ± 11.8***	2.7 ± 3.1	3.1 ± 5.1
Hydroxycarbamide treatment (%)	25.6	23.6	0	0
Haematocrit	0.23 ± 0.05	0.25 ± 0.04*	0.32 ± 0.03	0.31 ± 0.02
Blood viscosity (cP)	5.15 ± 1.32	5.34 ± 1.37	6.64 ± 1.40	6.94 ± 1.30
RBC deformability (3 Pa, a.u.)	0.18 ± 0.08	0.21 ± 0.06**	0.18 ± 0.03	0.18 ± 0.04
RBC deformability (30 Pa, a.u.)	0.38 ± 0.12	0.43 ± 0.10***	0.44 ± 0.06	0.45 ± 0.07
RBC aggregates strength (s-1)	303 ± 155	274 ± 136	298 ± 143	288 ± 108

Means ± SD. HbF, foetal haemoglobin. Significant difference between Males and Females:

*p < 0.05

**p < 0.01

***p < 0.001