Leucocyte telomere length in patients with sickle cell disease.

The article presents the result of a study which examined the use of leucocyte telomere lengths in ascertaining the presence of inflammation and oxidative stress in African-descent patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The researchers used genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood leucocytes and DNA assay to determine the effect of age on telomere length. They found an association between hydroxycarbamide (HC) use and telomere to single copy gene ratio (TSR).