Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an incurable debilitating disease affecting the Afro-Caribbean population. The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), an effective and popular method of contraception, is often denied to women with SCD for fear that the disease process may have a synergistic effect on the coagulation changes associated with contraceptive steroids. In this study red cell deformability was assessed in 10 women with SCD and 10 comparable women with normal AA haemoglobin. Neither group was on exogenous hormones. The red cells were taken in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle when women have low endogenous levels of oestradiol and progesterone. The effect of the steroids contained in the COCP on red blood cells was simulated by incubation with therapeutic concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone. Red cell deformability is a measure of the ease with which erythrocytes flow through small capillaries and was assessed using the parameters red cell transit time (RCTT) and clogging rate (CR). Therapeutic concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone did not appear to influence red cell deformability in women with SCD or normal AA haemoglobin.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
