Red cell membrane protein abnormalities as defined by sds-page among patients with anaemia in a west african region hospital practice

Background: Erythrocytes require an ability to deform and to withstand shear stress while negotiating the microcirculation. These properties are largely due to their excess surface area per volume and the characteristics of the membrane’s protein. Deficiencies of these proteins are associated with chronic haemolysis. Methods: This was a cross sectional  study aimed at determining the prevalence of red cell membrane protein abnormalities as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) among patients with anaemia attending the out-patients clinics of the hospital. Results: A total of 823 participants were recruited into the study with a mean age of 34±14 years. There were 410 (49.8%) participants with haematocrit ≥ 36% and 413 with haematocrit ≤ 35.9% of which 192 participants (23.3%) had abnormal red cell indices. Following SDS-PAGE, 21 (10.9%) of the 192 participants had deficient PAGE tracing. Abnormal spectrin band was observed in 17 (81%) of the 21 participants. The haematocrit was significantly lower while the reticulocyte count and red cell distribution width were higher in participants with red cell membrane abnormalities. Conclusion: One in ten patients with mild anaemia and abnormal red cell indices in clinical practice may be having hereditary red cell membrane protein defect. Presence of raised reticulocyte count, family history of mild anaemia, increased red cell distribution width and red cell morphology may be used to screen for membrane deficiency.