Background. Previous studies on the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD) suggested that the CCR5Δ32 allele, which is responsible for the production of truncated C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), could confer a selective advantage on patients with SCD because it leads to a less efficient Th1 response. We determined the frequency of the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism in 795 Afro-Brazilian SCD patients followed up at the Pernambuco Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, in Northeastern Brazil, divided into a pediatric group (3 months–17 years, n=483) and an adult group (18–70 years, n=312). The adult patients were also compared to a healthy control group (blood donors, 18–61 years, n=247). Methods. The CCR5/CCR5Δ32 polymorphism was determined by allele-specific PCR. Results. No homozygous patient for the CCR5Δ32 allele was detected. The frequency of heterozygotes in the study population (patients and controls) was 5.8%, in the total SCD patients 5.1%, in the children 5.4%, in the adults with SCD 4.8%, and in the adult controls 8.1%. These differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions. Our findings failed to demonstrate an important role of the CCR5Δ32 allele in the population sample studied here.