A Study Of Hematological And Biochemical Profile In Thalassemia Patients

Abstract

Background: Thalassemia is one of the most common hereditary disorders in Asia and most parts of the world and has drawn the attention of scientific research by many. It is accompanied with metabolic dysregulation, iron overload, chronic hypoxia and cell damage. All physiological changes result in ineffective erythropoiesis, hemolysis and anemia. Most patients are dependent on either transfusion or bone marrow transplantation for survival. Regular transfusion and chelation therapy have improved the span and quality of their lives but have been known to cause alterations in the hematological and biochemical parameters. Aim: To assess the changes in hematological and biochemical parameters in thalassemia patients and timely correction of any deranged parameters, to prevent any severe complications and to improve quality of life. Materials and Methods: The study was done on a total of 35 thalassemia patients who were admitted for treatment and blood transfusions. Thirty-five healthy individual controls were matched by sex and age were included. The values of Total iron binding capacity (TIBC), Serum Iron (Fe), Serum Calcium (Ca), Serum creatinine, Serum phosphorus (P), Serum Alkaline phosphatise (ALP) and Serum Ferritin were estimated. Hemoglobin (Hb), Hematocrit (HCT), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Platelet count, Red Cell Distribution Width-Standard Deviation (RDW-SD) and Red Cell Distribution Width-Coefficient of Variation (RDW-CV) were measured.Results: Study group having 35 cases matched with the control group with a mean age of 8.20 years and 8.74 years respectively. The male to female ratio was 1.9:1 in the study group. Hb, HCT, MCHC, TIBC, Serum Creatinine and Serum Phosphorous were reduced in thalassemia patients when compared with the control group with a significant p-value (<0.005). RDW(SD), RDW(CV), Serum Iron and Serum Ferritin showed a statistically significant increase (p<0.005) in the thalassemia patients. MCV, MCH, Platelet count, Serum Calcium and Serum ALP showed no significant difference between study and control groups. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that repeated blood transfusions in thalassemia patients cause derangement of many hematological and biochemical parameters. Regular monitoring of these parameters is important for better management of thalassemia patients