Abstract:
Background: Thalassemia is a genetic disease having
3-7% carrier rate in Indians. It is transfusion dependent
anemia having high risk of iron overloading. A clinical
symptom of iron overload becomes detectable in
second decade causing progressive liver, heart and
endocrine glands damage. There is a need to assess
iron overload in thalassemics below 5 years of age to
protect them from complications at later age of life.
Aims and objectives: Present study was undertaken to
estimate serum iron status and evaluate serum
transferrin saturation in both homozygous & hetero-
zygous form of thalassemia as an index of iron over-
load among children of one to five years of age.
Materials and Methods: Clinically diagnosed thirty
cases of β thalassemia major & thirty cases of β
thalassemia minor having severe anemia, hepato-
spleenomegaly and between 1 year to 5 years of age
were included in study group and same age matched
healthy controls were included in the study. RBC
indices and HbA, HbA2 and HbF were estimated along
with serum iron & serum Total Iron Binding Capacity
(TIBC) and serum transferrin levels. Results: Signifi-
cant difference was observed in hemoglobin levels
between control and both beta thalassemia groups.
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) and Mean Corpus-
cular Hemoglobin (MCH) values were reduced.
Hemoglobin electrophoresis showed the elevated
levels of HbF and HbA2 in both beta thalassemia
groups. Among serum iron parameters, serum iron,
TIBC and transferrin saturation were elevated whereas
serum transferrin levels were low in thalassemia major
in children below 5 years of age. Conclusion: Although
clinical symptoms of iron overload have been absent in thalassemic children below five years of age, biochem-
ical iron overloading has started at much lower age
which is of great concern.
