RESUMEN
【Objective】 To investigate the changes in cellular immunity (peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets) and humoral immunity (serum immunoglobulin and ferritin) status among children with thalassemia who received repeated transfusions in Yunnan. 【Methods】 Forty-six children with thalassemia who underwent repeated blood transfusions from January 2020 to October 2022 were selected as the observation group. Forty children with thalassemia who did not receive blood transfusion were included in control group 1, and 46 healthy children underwent physical examination were included in control group 2. The differences in lymphocyte subsets, serum immunoglobulin levels and ferritin concentrations were compared among the three groups. 【Results】 For lymphocyte subsets: CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the observation group was lower than the control group 1 and 2: 57.60±8.36 vs 64.57±7.56 vs 66.58±5.65, 33.16±5.67 vs 38.62±8.36 vs 38.62±6.41 and 1.49±0.09 vs 2.32±0.15 vs 2.13±0.16, respectively; CD16+ CD56+ in the observation group was lower than the control group 2: 11.21±5.06 vs 16.70±7.92; CD8+ in the observation group was higher than control group 1 and control group 2: 26.63± 1.75 vs 20.60±1.43 vs 18.92±0.84; CD19+ in the observation group was higher than the control group 2: 24.06±6.42 vs 19.67 ±8.42, P<0.05, but no significant difference was noticed between the two control groups(P>0.05). For serum immunoglobulin and ferritin: IgG and ferritin in the observation group were higher than control group 1 and control group 2: 10.59±3.88 vs 7.02±3.88 vs 5.58±1.98 and 2 037.37±1 377.59 vs 72.63±56.71 vs 59.48±33.88. IgA in the observation group was higher than the control group 2: 1.06±0.92 vs 0.39±0.32(P<0.05), but no significant difference was noticed between the two control groups (P>0.05). The difference of IgM and IgE between the three groups was not significant (P > 0. 05). 【Conclusion】 The proportion of lymphocyte subsets in thalassemia children with repeated blood transfusion was imbalanced,and the level of immunoglobulin in humoral immunity was abnormal.
RESUMEN
β-thalassemia major is a disease caused by β polypeptide chain synthesis disorder which is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner from both parents and which is marked by little or no β-globin chain synthesis. Treatment for β-thalassemia major patients is by giving repeated blood transfusions, which causes iron accumulation, leading to hemochromatosis. Iron accumulation can occur in various body organ, including the kidneys. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of renal impairment in β-thalassemia major patients. The subjects of this study were β-thalassemia major patients aged 15 - 28 years old who had received 6 units of packed red cells or more within 6 months. In this study, urine and serum samples of the subjects were taken and examined. Assay of serum iron was performed with Hitachi 737. Results were that 94.7% patients showed an increase in transferrin saturation and 40% of them had hemochromatosis; 73.4% had microalbuminuria; 1.3% had albuminuria and 21.3% had increased urinary β2- microglobulin (β2-m). A total of 78.6% of patients showed renal impairment. Conclusion of this study suggested that glomerular dysfunction happens in an earlier stage of the disease process. The high incidence of microalbuminuria is also attributed to defective ability of the proximal tubular cells to reabsorb protein besides dysfunction of the glomeruli.