Bone Mineral Density among adolescent's patients with β-thalassemia major.

Samar Abbas Jaffri; Syed Muhammad Irfan; Sadia Sultan; Syed Muhammad Usman; Sheeza Nadeem

doi:10.29052/IJEHSR.v9.i1.2021.42-47

Samar Abbas Jaffri Department of Medicine, Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College, Karachi-Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5040-0887
Syed Muhammad Irfan Department of Hematology & Blood bank, Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College, Karachi-Pakistan
Sadia Sultan Laboratory, National Medical Centre, Karachi-Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6832-3410
Syed Muhammad Usman Jinnah Medical & Dental College, Karachi-Pakistan
Sheeza Nadeem Jinnah Medical & Dental College, Karachi-Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29052/IJEHSR.v9.i1.2021.42-47

Keywords: Beta-Thalassemia Major, Bone Mineral Density, Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry.

Abstract

Background: Beta-thalassemia is an autosomal recessive hemoglobinopathy with frequent skeletal complications, often debilitating in adolescent patients. We aim to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and ascertain osteoporosis/osteopenia frequency in patients with β-thalassemia major.

Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, 36 adolescent patients with β-thalassemia major were enrolled from June 2015 to March 2017. BMD was measured in the anteroposterior lumbar spine (L1-L4) and femoral neck by DEXA. For the biochemical estimations, blood and urine samples were obtained and analyzed. The results of a bone density test were presented as T and Z scores.

Results: There were 20 male and 16 female patients with a mean age of 21.33 ± 3.7 years. The mean bone mineral content (BMC) was 20.10 ± 6.0 gm, and the mean BMD was 0.65 ± 0.07 gm/cm². The mean T score was -3.17 ± 1.04, and the Z score was -3.06 ± 1.06. All patients had low BMD, as depicted by their T or Z scores. The reported frequency of osteoporosis and osteopenia was 77.7% and 22.2%, respectively.

Conclusion: All Beta-thalassemia major patients had low BMD with a remarkable incidence of osteoporosis. It is recommended to perform an annual BMD among thalassemic patients to prevent fatal consequences and achieve an optimal bone density among such patients.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Sultan S, Irfan SM, Kakar J, Zeeshan R. Effect of iron chelator deferoxamine on serum zinc levels in patients with beta-thalassemia major. Malays J Pathol. 2015;37(1):35-38.
2. Usman M, Moinuddin M, Ghani R, Usman S. Screening of Five Common Beta Thalassemia Mutations in the Pakistani Population: A basis for prenatal diagnosis. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2009;9(3):305-310.
3. Sultan S, Irfan SM, Ahmed SI. Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover in Patients with β-Thalassemia Major: A Single-Center Study from Southern Pakistan. Adv Hematol. 2016; 2016:5437609.
4. Senol SP, Tiftik EN, Unal S, Akdeniz A, Tasdelen B, Tunctan B. Quality of life, clinical effectiveness, and satisfaction in patients with beta thalassemia major and sickle cell anemia receiving deferasirox chelation therapy. JBCP. 2016;7(2):49.
5. Raza S, Farooqi S, Mubeen H, Shoaib MW, Jabeen S. Beta thalassemia: Prevalence, risk and challenges. Int. j. med. health res. 2016;2(1): 5-7.