Table 1.
Response variables during 24 weeks of fixed low-dose hydroxyurea and during 24 weeks of observation off hydroxyurea in 48 sickle cell anemia patients in Ibadan, Nigeria. Results are given in median (interquartile range). P-value represents comparison with pre-hydroxyurea or observation baseline by the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
| Variable | Pre-Hydroxyurea baseline (n=48) | Fixed low-dose hydroxyurea therapy | Observation baseline (4 weeks off hydroxyurea) (n=38) | Observation period of being off hydroxyurea | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydroxyurea 12 weeks (n=48) | P-value | Hydroxyurea 24 weeks (n=44) | P-value | Observation 12 weeks (n=27) | P-value | Observation 24 weeks (n=26) | P-value | |||
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 78 (72-87) |
81 (75-90) |
0.001 | 83 (76-92) |
<0.001 | 80 (72-86) |
82 (75-88) |
0.900 | 76 (72-82) |
0.500 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 25.1 (22.9-27.5) |
25.8 (24.5-29.1) |
<0.001 | 26.2 (24.4-29.4) |
<0.001 | 25.9 (23.2-27.4) |
26.0 (23.9-28.0) |
0.200 | 24.4 (22.8-26.5)7 |
0.040 |
| Mean corpuscular volume (fL) | 87.1 (80.7-90.7) |
94.5 (89.7-102.8) |
<0.001 | 95.5 (90.5-102.9) |
<0.001 | 94.2 (85.5-100.9)4 |
91.9 (86.3-97.2) |
0.019 | 91.7 (87.3-96.3)7 |
0.002 |
| White blood cells (1000/μL) | 10.1 (8.7-11.8) |
8.5 (7.2-9.8) |
0.007 | 8.9 (7.3-10.4) |
0.013 | 9.2 (7.7-10.8) |
9.9 (8.2-11.8) |
0.150 | 8.9 (8.1-11.7) |
0.150 |
| Neutrophils (1000/μL) | 5.3 (4.1-6.5) |
4.1 (3.6-5.2)1 |
0.025 | 4.4 (3.4-5.7) |
0.086 | 4.4 (3.8-5.8)4 |
5.2 (3.8-6.9) |
0.200 | 4.7 (4.1-5.5) |
0.200 |
| Platelets (1000/μL) | 467 (363-554) |
382 (312-492) |
<0.001 | 411 (298-472) |
0.001 | 386 (293-455) |
394 (254-477) |
0.200 | 401 (337-511)7 |
0.400 |
| Body weight (kg) | 50.8 (48.1-55.0)1 |
52.0 (48.5-55.7)2 |
0.004 | 52.1 (46.4-56.1)3 |
0.061 | 52.3 (47.4-57.0)5 |
50.2 (46.6-54.0)6 |
0.800 | 49.9 (47.0-55.5) |
0.073 |
1
N=47;
2
N=38;
3
N=43;
4
N=37;
5
N=36;
6
N=26;
7
N=25