Urinary cysteinyl leukotriene E4 significantly increases during pain in children and adults with sickle cell disease.

Baseline level of the cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT), leukotriene E4 (LTE4), is associated with an increased pain rate in children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). To provide additional evidence for a role of CysLTs in the pathogenesis of vaso-occlusion, we tested the hypothesis that LTE4 levels will increase within an individual during painful episodes compared to baseline. In a cohort of 19 children and adults with SCD, median LTE4 levels increased from 82.36 pg/mg creatinine at baseline to 162.81 pg/mg creatinine during a painful episode (P < 0.001). These data further support a contribution of CysLTs to the process of vaso-occlusion. Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.