Insights into age- and sickle-cell-disease-interaction using principal components analysis

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Peripheral blood indexes are vital for sickle cell anemia (SCA) assessment.
• Age is a potential confounding factor in SCA peripheral blood index interpretation.
• High SCA prevalence necessitates understanding age-related interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay between age and sickle hemoglobin (HbS) status.
• To analyze how age modifies the relationship between blood indexes and HbS.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Inclusion of 374 subjects with diverse HbS statuses.
• Application of principal component analysis and factor analysis.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis in non-SCA individuals revealed three key factors: erythropoiesis, thalassemia presence, and blood aggregability.
• These factors showed differential associations with HbS status.
• Age significantly influenced the association of thalassemia presence and blood aggregability with HbS status.

Conclusions:

• The interaction between age and hemoglobin status is clinically relevant.
• Public health strategies for SCA should account for age-related differences.
• Further research into age-specific management of SCA is warranted.