Study of correlation of nitrite levels with malonaldehyde and the prognosis of patients with sickle cell disease on hydroxyurea, Ceará-Brazil.

Hydroxyurea (HU) is the only drug approved for the induction of fetal hemoglobin. Besides this benefit, there are others such as the reduction of leukocyte and generation of nitric oxide (NO). Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is characterized by chronic hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusive phenomena. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of parameters MDA and NO2 with the prognosis of patients with SCA as outpatients at Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídeo. In all, 65 patients with SCA--51 without the use of HU (group I) and 14 chronically treated with HU (group II)--were recruited. Nitrite and malonaldehyde were determined by biochemical methods. We found that in group II there was a significant difference of serum MDA with clinical variables: two or more transfusions during the year (P<0.0469), the presence of malleolar ulcers (P<0.0400), and the occurrence of vaso-occlusive episodes (P<0.0031), and Group I with the occurrence of three or more vaso-occlusive episodes (P<0.0051). Correlating the malonaldehyde with clinical variables in groups I and II, we observed a statistically significant relationship with two or more transfusions during the year and the presence of malleolar ulcer. Our results demonstrate that MDA levels can be used as parameter for prognosis in SCA.