Abstract
Not uncommonly, patients with SCA exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, abdominal pain and anorexia. Moreover, these patients may also grow poorly. It is possible that poor growth and abnormal intestinal functions are causally related.
This study was undertaken to determine: 1) the possible relationship between the impaired growth and gastrointestinal disorders; 2) the common gastrointestinal abnormalities seen in patients with SCA; and 3) information on the status of gastrointestinal absorption in patients with SCA.
The adequacy of digestion, absorption, motility and morphology of the gastrointestinal tract of children with SCA was investigated, utilizing several tests and procedures which included: Oral glucose tolerance test, Xylose absorption fat content in 3 day pooled specimens of feces, gelatin absorption In addition, jejunal biopsies were performed on three patients using the Robin's capsule technique. Electron-microscopic examination was performed on biopsy specimens.
Sixteen patients with homozygous ss anemia and two patients with sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease and sixteen matched non-anemic children (controls) were studied. Our investigation using the described techniques fail to disclose any significant abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract in children with SCA.
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Rahbar, F., Scott, R. & Jilly, P. STUDIES IN SICKLE CELL ANEMIA (SCA): PRELIMINARY OBSERVATION ON GASTROINTESTINAL DIGESTION AND ABSORPITON. Pediatr Res 8, 385 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197404000-00268
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197404000-00268
