Tissue damage in sickle cell disease as assessed by serum acid phosphatase.

The extent of tissue damage caused by vaso-occlusion in sickle cell disease in those organs rich in acid phosphatase was assessed by measuring serum acid phosphatase in 33 patients with homozygous sickle cell disease Hb-SS (sicklers) and comparing the result with that of 31 persons with normal haemoglobin-AA (non-sicklers) matched for age and sex. The result showed a decrease in the level of total, labile and tartrate-resistant serum acid phosphatase in sicklers compared to non-sicklers, though the decrease is not statistically significant (p greater than 0.1). Though serum acid phosphatase is unlikely to be a useful index for the assessment of organ damage, the result is in consonance with reported decreases in other body secretions such as serum testosterone or aldosterone due to organ damage by vaso-occlusion of the micro-circulation by sickled red cells in sickle cell disease.