Nutritional factors and growth in children with sickle cell disease.

A study of growth and nutrition was conducted with 20 growth-retarded (GR) and 20 growth-normal (GN) preadolescent children with sickle cell disease (SCD). All children were matched for age, sex, hemoglobin disorder, and hematologic values. Ten normal children served as control subjects. Mean serum levels of retinol, retinol-binding protein, prealbumin, and zinc were significantly lower in the children with SCD than in normal children. Mean serum retinol and prealbumin levels were similar in the GR and GN sickle cell groups. Mean serum retinol-binding protein levels were lower in GR than in GN patients. Serum zinc levels, somatomedin C levels, and bone age were frequently abnormal in the patients with SCD, but these factors did not correlate with growth status. It was not possible to explain the poor growth in patients with SCD in this study solely on the basis of nutritional factors.