TREATMENT OF SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA WITH COBALT CHLORIDE

Abstract

SICKLE-cell disease is a chronic familial abnormality of hemoglobin synthesis which is found almost exclusively in Negroes. The disease derives its name from the characteristic sickled appearance of the red blood cell after it is subjected to deoxygenation. There are two clinical states. Sickle-cell trait, in which there is no anemia, requires greater reduction in oxygen tension for sickling to appear than the second and clinically more significant type, sickle-cell anemia.¹ In the latter condition, there occur a hemolytic anemia, arthritis, leg ulcers, abdominal crises, gall stones, cardiomegaly, and changes in bodily configuration. The intravascular sickling which occurs is the major factor in the development of the hemolytic anemia. There are definite variations in the severity of the anemia produced. It is note-worthy that the patients being presented in this report were well enough to be inducted into the army. Pauling, Itano, and others* used electrophoretic differences to find five