Radioactive sodium chromate for the study of survival of red blood cells. II. The rate of hemolysis in certain hematologic disorders.

Cr51 erythrocyte survival times are reported in a group of patients with a variety of abnormal hemoglobin syndromes. Marked decreases in survival time are demonstrated in pure sickle cell anemia. Shortened survival times are reported in one case each of hemoglobin C disease and sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease with compensated hemolysis. Normal survival times are reported in sickle cell trait and hemoglobin C trait. Red cell life span as measured by the Cr51 technic agrees well with most published reports of survival times in these disorders in cases performed with the Ashby technic. The Cr51 method appears to be as useful in measuring the survival of erythrocytes containing abnormal hemoglobins as it has been shown to be in other hemolytic disorders as well as in normals. Its decided advantages are its simplicity, adaptability, and reliability.