There was also a higher prevalence of the IL4-590T/T genotype in patients with sickle cell disease than in Afro-Brazilian descendent controls (p < 0.001) and higher expression of IL4 in patients with the 1.1 genotype of IL4 intron 3 VNTR (p = 0.06).
We have investigated the levels of Th1 (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) and Th2 (IL-4) cytokines in the plasma and supernatants following peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture and mitogen stimulation in a group of 39 patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) made up of 29 SS, 8 Sbeta-thal and 2 Hb SD in steady state.