Determination of Levels of Methaemoglobin in Sickle Cell Patients in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The levels of methaemoglobin were studied in twenty confirmed sickle cell patients (12 females and 8 males) from Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki and from private laboratories. Another twenty (20) apparently healthy individuals (12 females and 8 males) served as controls. The age ranges of subjects were 1 -20 years (14 subjects) and 21 – 40 years (6 subjects). Spectrophotometric analysis showed that the mean methHb levels of the test was 4.78% compared to mean of control 1.70%, which was significant (P<0.05). Spectrophotometric analysis showed that the mean MetHb level of subjects aged 1-20 years was 5.53% compared to mean of subject aged 21-40 years 4.23% which was not significant (P>0.05). Also, spectrophotometric analysis showed that the mean metHb levels of females was 4.71% compared to the mean of males 4.84%, which was not significant (P>0.05). This therefore suggests that antioxidant activity in sickle cell anaemia was some how impaired or that the rate of production of oxidized haemoglobin overwhelms the antioxidant activity.