Several factors have been identified as possibly being responsible for the diversity of sickle cell anemia patients’ symptoms, including gender, age, haplotypes and hemoglobin F levels. The aim of this paper is to verify the clinical and laboratorial diversity of the Bantu haplotype. A descriptive study was performed of eighteen children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia and homozygous for the Bantu haplotype. Gender and age were assessed in respect to clinical and laboratorial features. Statistical analysis of the results was achieved using the EPIINFO program version 6.04. Children from 1 to 11 years old had more infections than adolescents from 12 to 19 and higher levels of hemoglobin F. The hematocrit was higher in girls. Higher levels of hemoglobin A2 were related to more infections, and higher levels of hemoglobin F were related to hematocrit values and lower numbers of infections and periods in hospital. This study suggests that there is diversity within the Bantu haplotype, which is possibly related to gender, age and hemoglobin A2 and hemoglobin F levels of patients.
Haplotype; anemia; sickle cell; Bantu; clinical
