COMPARISON OF D-DIMER LEVEL AND PLATELET COUNT IN INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WITHOUT SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA

Aim: This study aimed to assess the D-dimer levels and platelet count in sickle cell anaemia patients and compare with those of the control subjects.Materials and Methods: This study is a cross–sectional comparative study which enrolled 58 sickle cell anaemia patients (25 males and 33 females) in a stable state at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, as well as 25 healthy controls (11 males and 24 females). Venous blood (4.5 mL) was collected from both the patient and control into a vial containing 0.5 ml of 3.2% trisodium citrate. D-dimer levels was analysed using ELISA method. Platelet counts were determined (from 5ml venous sample collected with EDTA) using haematology autoanalyzer.Results: There was a significant rise in D-dimer levels in sickle cell patients, with mean values of 1771.86 ng/mL and 1986.00 ng/mL for males and females, respectively, in the steady state compared to the D-dimer levels of controls, with mean values of 199.24 and 322.21 ng/mL for males and females, respectively. Platelet count was significantly higher in SCA patients than in the control subjects. There is perfect correlation between D-dimer and platelet counts in both patients and control (r=1, n=57, P=0.000) and (r=1, n=30, P=0.000)Conclusion: This study showed the hypercoagulable state and thrombotic risk associated with SCA. The strong correlation between D-dimer levels and platelet counts suggests a potential interplay between platelet activation and coagulation activation in SCA, warranting further investigation into therapeutic interventions targeting these pathways.