Abstract
A case-control interventional study was conducted to determine serum zinc levels in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), and to compare them to the levels in normal children and to the levels after 6 months of zinc supplementation. A total of 74 patients and 30 normal children, considered as control for the zinc levels, were included. The clinical findings, including anthropometric measurements, were obtained. Serum zinc levels at start and after 6 months, for the patients and at the start for the controls were measured. The mean age at enrollment and diagnosis were 7.5 ±4.8 years and 5.5 ±2.4 months respectively. Male to female ratio was 1:1. Patients showed very low zinc levels at enrollment (0.268 ±0.146 mg/l), while the controls had a mean zinc level at lower limits of normal (0.542 ±0.087 mg/l), p value 0.04. After zinc supplementation, zinc levels in patients increased significantly with a p value=0.04. Zinc supplementation had positive effects on weight and height, with a p value of 0.001 for both. The increase in body mass index (BMI) and head circumference (HC) were not significant, p value of 0.058 and 0.067, respectively. Likewise, zinc supplementation had positive effects on the heamatological indices as an increase in hemoglobin levels and a decrease of leukocyte counts, with p=0.004 and 0.005, while the increase in platelet count was insignificant, p value=0.058. Furthermore, zinc supplementation decreased the frequency of hospitalization significantly. We recommend considering zinc supplementation as one of the standard-of-care interventions in Sudanese children with SCD.

Key words: Sickle cell disease; Zinc supplementation; Hospitalization frequency; Haematological indices.