Objective@#This study aimed at determining the characteristics of the
glucose homeostasis and its relationship with
iron overload of the
patients with β-
thalassemia major (β-TM).@*
Method@#From
Sun Yat-sen Memorial
Hospital between January 2014 and December 2015, a total of 57 transfusion-dependent β-TM
patients with 5-18 years old were enrolled in this study and
fasting blood glucose(FBG) and
insulin level,
serum ferritin (SF),
serum iron,
transferrin, total
iron binding capacity, unsaturated
iron binding capacity were determined.
Insulin resistance index (IRI),
insulin sensitivity index and β-
cell function index (BFI) were also estimated. Besides, in 36
patients cardiac T2* and
liver T2* were estimated.@*Result@#(1) Four
patients(7%) with β-TM were diagnosed
diabetes mellitus, and 14(24%) had impaired
fasting glucose. (2) The
incidence of abnormal
glucose metabolism was significantly different according to levels of SF and degrees of the cardiac
iron overload(χ2=9.737, P<0.05; χ2=17.027, P<0.05). It
rose while the level of SF increased and the degree of cardiac
iron overload aggravated. (3) The
incidence of abnormal
glucose level was not significantly different in cases with different degree of
liver iron overload.The severe group of
liver iron overload had significantly higher levels of INS, HOMA-βFI, HOMA-ISI, HOMA-βFI than the non-severe group (Z=-2.434, -2.515, F=8.658, all P<0.05), while no differences were found in the level of FBG, HOMA-βFI between two groups. (4) The result of
logistic regression analysis indicated that the cardiac T2* was a significant predictor for the
incidence of abnormal
glucose metabolism in TM
patients (P=0.035, OR=1.182%, 95%CI=1.048 to 1.332).@*Conclusion@#The high
prevalence of abnormal
glucose metabolism in β-TM
patients was mainly closely related with the internal
iron overload, especially in organs.The cardiac T2* was an independent
risk factor for the
incidence of abnormal
glucose metabolism in TM
patients.