Analyses of the soluble levels of sCD40L, sCD62P and sCD40 in pediatric sickle cell anemia patients with abnormal transcranial Doppler.

Introduction: Serum levels of sCD40L, sCD40 and sCD62P were evaluated in sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients aged between 2 and 16 years with normal transcranial Doppler (TCD) and no stroke (G1, n = 24); in SCA patients with abnormal TCD (G2, n = 16); in SCA patients with a previous history of stroke (G3, n = 8), and; in healthy controls (aged 2 to 13 years; n = 26).

Results: The levels of sCD40L were significantly higher in the G1, G2 and G3 groups, compared to controls (p = 0.0001, p < 0.