The Haematological Response to Androgens in Sickle Cell Anaemia

To 11 patients with sickle cell anaemia pharmacological doses of androgens were given for periods varying between 3 and 16 weeks. To 3 of the patients two courses of treatment were given. During the treatment 10 of the patients showed an increase of the total red cell mass varying between 25 and 125% of the control value. One patient did not respond. The treatment had no discernible effect on the sickling tendency of the erythrocytes at different levels of oxygen tension and there was no consistent alteration of the red cell survival measured with radioactive chromium. Weight gain was seen in all patients and hirsutism was seen in most of the females. In spite of the marked increase in red cell mass there was no certain increase in the frequency of crisis among the female patients. Priapism occurred in all of the adult males responding to the therapy. The number of patients studied is, however, small and the observation time too short to allow any firm conclusion on the effect of androgen treatment on the frequency of vaso‐occlusive crisis.