Study on iron overload in thalassaemia minor patients / 国际检验医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess of iron overload in thalassaemia minor patients and provide basis for clinical intervention.Methods A total of 458 thalassaemia minor patients confirmed by genetic tests were divided into two groups(α-thalassaemia group and β-thalassaemia group),and 120 healthy individuals were recruited into control group.Serum iron and serum ferritin were measured,correlations between serum ferritin and age,genotypes,hemoglobin were evaluated.Results There was no significant difference in serum iron among the three groups(P>0.05),but the differences of serum ferritin was statistically significant(P<0.05),and serum ferritin in the β-thalassemia group was higher than that of the α-thalassemia group(P<0.05).Serum ferritin also had significant differences between different age groups(P<0.05),and which was higher in young patients(≤20) and older patients.Besides that,in patients older than 20 years,the level of ferritin was positively correlated with age.Moreover,we found serum ferritin had statistically differences between genotypes in α-thalassaemia patients(P=0.006),and which had poor negatively correlation with hemoglobin in β-thalassaemia patients(r=-0.252,P=0.001).Conclusion Serum ferritin was a sensitive indicator to assess iron overload in thalassaemia minor patients,and which was positively correlated with age in thalassaemia patients 20 or more than 20 years old.Our research also indicates different iron overload traits between α-thalassaemia patients and β-thalassaemia patients.