Growth Indices and Serum Zinc Levels of Children with Sickle Cell Disease Seen At the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Aims: The study determined the serum zinc levels of children with Sickle cell disease (SCD) and its relationship to their growth.

Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of the Study: This study was conducted between November 2012 and February 2013 at the Paediatric outpatients clinic, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methodology: Weight, height and serum zinc were compared between SCD subjects and Haemoglobin A (Hb A) controls. The association between zinc deficiency and growth indices was assessed. A total of 104 SCD subjects and 103 Hb A children were studied.

Results: The mean weight-for-age z-scores in SCD and controls were -0.6 ± 1.3 and -0.4 ± 1.5 respectively (p=.292). Using WHO reference z-scores 16.4% and 9.7% of SCD subjects and controls respectively were underweight (p=.513) and, 17.3% and 15.5% of SCD subjects and controls respectively were stunted (p=.347). The mean serum zinc in SCD subjects was 76.6 ± 16.5 mg/dl compared to 82.2 ± 23.3 mg/dl in controls (p=.05). A significantly higher proportion of SCD subjects > 10 years of age had zinc deficiency compared to those less than 5 years of age (51% versus 15.2%, p< .001). Zinc deficiency was not associated with being underweight (p=.614), stunted (p=.23) or wasted (p=.19) in SCD subjects.

Conclusions: Weights and heights of SCD subjects and controls are not significantly different in the UCH. Mean serum zinc levels of children with SCD are lower than in controls but there is no association between zinc deficiency and underweight or stunting. There is a higher prevalence of zinc deficiency in children with SCD aged 10 years and older. More studies are needed to determine the magnitude of growth impairment in SCD in Nigeria as well as to establish its relationship with serum zinc in these children.