Radicais livres em eritrócitos falcêmicos e talassêmicos / Free radicals in erythrocytes in sickle cell anemia and thalassemia

Radicais livres derivados de espécies ativadas de oxigênio estao associados a lesoes citológicas, que diminuem a sobrevida dos eritrócitos, especialmente quando contêm defeitos congênitos, como sao os casos da anemia falciforme e da talassemia maior. As atividades antioxidantes dos eritrócitos dependem de três tipos de enzimas: superóxido dismutase, catalase e glutatiao peroxidase. Entretanto, as atividades antioxidantes podem ser ineficazes em situaçoes em que ocorrem o comprometimento dos hidroxiperóxidos da membrana eritrocitária, devido às células falciformes irreversíveis e à ligaçao de hemicromos à membrana dos eritrócitos talassêmicos.

Prevalences of thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies and G-6-PD deficiency in malaria patients.

It seems that thalassemia and/or hemoglobinopathies and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G-6-PD) have some protective effects against malaria infection. To verify this, hemoglobin typing and methehoglobin reduction test were performed on 115 malaria patients and compared with controls. It was found that the number of thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies in the malaria group and in the control group were not significantly different and also occurrence of G-6-PD deficiency in the malaria group was not different from that of the controls. Clinical manifestations of malaria in any group are quite similar. It is concluded that there is no protective effect against malaria in thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies or G-6-PD deficiency.