The effect of intermittent fasting on the clinical and hematological parameters of patients with sickle cell disease: A preliminary study

Abstract

IntroductionSickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that frequently presents with vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Most patients with sickle cell disease in Qatar are Muslims; hence, they practice intermittent fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. However, there is a paucity of literature describing the effect of intermittent fasting on the occurrence of severe VOC. As a result, there is a lack of guidelines or standardized protocols that can help physicians advise patients with sickle cell disease who wish to practice intermittent fasting. Therefore, this study's aim was to investigate the effect of intermittent fasting on the clinical and hematological parameters of individuals with sickle cell disease.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study for 52 Muslim patients with sickle cell disease in Qatar aged ≥18 years who were confirmed to be fasting during the holy month of Ramadan during any of the years 2019–2021. The difference in the occurrence of severe VOC, hemolytic crisis, and other clinical, hematological, and metabolic parameters were studied one month before, during, and one month after the intermittent fasting of Ramadan using the patient's medical records. Mean (sd), median (IQR), and frequency (%) described the data. One-way with repeated measures ANOVA with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction and Friedman tests (*) were used at alpha level 0.05.ResultsThe study participants' (mean±sd) age was (31.1±9.2) years, 51.9% were males, and 48.1% were females. Roughly seventy percent of the participants were of Arab ethnicity, while the rest were either African or Asian. Most of the patients were homozygotes (SS) (90.4%). The median number of severe VOC (P = 0.7) and hemolytic crisis (P = 0.5) was not found to be significantly different before, during, or after Ramadan. Significant differences, however, were found in platelet count (P = 0.003), reticulocyte count (P < 0.001), and creatinine level (P = 0.038) with intermittent fasting.DiscussionIn this preliminary study, intermittent fasting does not seem to influence the rate of occurrence of severe vaso-occlusive crisis or hemolytic crisis in patients with sickle cell disease; however, it was found to be associated with differences in platelet count, reticulocytes count, and creatinine level. The statistical and clinical significance of these findings needs to be confirmed in studies with a larger sample size.

The Beneficial Effects of Nordic Walking Training Combined with Time-Restricted Eating 14/24 in Women with Abnormal Body Composition Depend on the Application Period

“…It was indicated that TRE may affect blood morphological parameters. In a study conducted on patients with sickle cell anemia, a monthly TRE regimen during Ramadan influenced, in both women and men, a non-significant decrease followed by an increase in leukocyte count [51]. Similarly, in both fasting groups in this study, there was an increase in leukocyte count, although it was statistically insignificant.…”

The Beneficial Effects of Nordic Walking Training Combined with Time Restricted Eating 14/24 in Women with Abnormal Body Composition Depend on the Application Period

“…It is indicated that TRE may affect blood morphological parameters. In a study conducted on patients with sickle cell anemia, a monthly TRE regimen during Ramadan influenced, in both women and men, a non-significant decrease followed by an increase in leukocyte count [51]. Similarly, in both fasting groups in this study, there was an increase in leukocyte count, although it was statistically insignificant.…”

The effects of intermittent fasting on markers of health: A Narrative review

“…animal studies have demonstrated the potential positive effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on immunological parameters in animal models [20][21][22][23], and there is also emerging evidence from human studies [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Moreover, IF has been linked to reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines and markers [18][19][20]27] Several factors need to be considered to understand the discrepancies observed in these studies.…”