Sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder marked by vaso-occlusive crises and severe pain, presents a major global health challenge. Haptoglobin, a glycoprotein that binds free hemoglobin in the blood, protects tissues from oxidative damage. This study aims to explore the link between variations in the haptoglobin ( HP ) gene and susceptibility to more severe sickle cell disease. A comprehensive literature search was performed across Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and PubMed. Methodological quality was evaluated using the RoB 2 tool. Statistical analyses employed MetaGenyo software with significance being set at a p-value 0.05). This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant association between HP gene polymorphisms and increased severity of sickle cell disease, suggesting that the HP genotype may serve as a valuable predictive biomarker for clinical outcomes.
Velmurugan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.