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Erythrocyte Catalase Activity in Thalassaemia
Author(s) -
BALCERZAK STANLEY P.,
JENSEN WALLACE N.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1966.tb02369.x
Subject(s) - catalase , red cell , haemolysis , sickle cell trait , sideroblastic anemia , hemoglobin , medicine , enzyme , immunology , biology , biochemistry , disease , anemia
Increased erythrocyte catalase activity per gram haemoglobin or per milliliter red cells was found in all 32 patients with thalassaemia minor, and in 2 of 7 patients with thalassaemia major. The trait was associated with increased catalase activity even when combined with a qualitatively abnormal haemoglobin, sickle haemoglobin. Sickle cell disease and a wide variety of other haematologic conditions were not associated with increased enzyme activity. Exceptions were found in one patient with sideroblastic anaemia and his daughter, both of whom had increased catalase activity. Four other patients with sideroblastic anaemia had normal activity. This evidence suggests that increased erythrocyte catalase activity may be used to identify the thalassaemia trait. The findings add a new point of similarity between thalassaemia and certain types of sideroblastic anaemia and provide indirect evidence that impaired haeme synthesis is not the primary defect in thalassaemia.