Effects of (–3.7)α Deletion and Sickle-Cell Trait on Ventilatory and Hemodynamic Responses to Maximum Exercise in Young Saudi Females

INTRODUCTION: Hemoglobinopathies are common disorders in Saudi Arabia and have an impact on the general health of the affected individuals. The current study aimed to find out the effects of the presence of α 3.7 kb rightward deletion or sickle-cell trait (SCT) on ventilatory and hemodynamic parameters of maximum exercise testing in young Saudi women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 75 randomly selected female students from different colleges were tested for VO(2max) using a COSMED system for maximum exercise testing. Blood parameters and globin genotyping were determined. RESULTS: Hemoglobin genetic studies revealed 28 of the students had 3.7 α-globin deletion only ((−3.7)α(2)/α(1)α(2)), five had SCT, and 42 had normal α-globin (α(1)α(2)/α(1)α(2) and no HbS) and were considered the control group. Subjects with (−3.7)α(2)/α(1)α(2) showed significantly lower VO(2max) and higher resting systolic blood pressure, while SCT carriers showed no difference in regard to ventilatory parameters, but had higher post-exercise systolic blood pressure than controls. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that individuals with 3.7 α-globin deletion might have lower fitness capacity, as demonstrated by lower VO(2max), which might explain the general lower VO(2max) in the young women of this population. Furthermore, increments in resting systolic and posteexercise systolic blood pressure in 3.7 α-globin deletion and SCT, respectively, might indicate a future risk of cardiovascular diseases and require attention and extensive studies.