Vitamin D and thyroid hormones, T4 and TSH, in patients with beta thalassemia major

Background. Beta thalassemia major due to mutation in hemoglobin beta chain genes. Accumulation of alpha globin in Red blood cell cause to severe hemolysis and ineffective erythropoiesis. Frequent infusion of blood for compensation of anemia in patients can increase the iron load of the body, which can cause various complications with deposition in the glands and general problem such as vitamin deficiency, so this study was performed for evaluating fluctuations of vitamin D, T4 and TSH hormones in these patients. Methods. This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on all patients with beta thalassemia major in Bushehr city. Vitamin D, T4 and TSH were measured in each patient. SPSS software v.16 was utilized for data analysis Result. The statistical population included 106 patients (female: 54.5%, male: 45.5%) with an average age of 23 years old. The mean values of T4, TSH and vitamin D were 7.4±1.8 ng/dl, 3.59±0.9 ng/ml and 29.1±23.6 ng/ml respectively. Prevalence of primary hypothyroidism was 5.55%. Vitamin D in 41% of patients was less than 20 ng/ml. There were significant correlations between age/TSH and age/vitamin D. There was inverse and significant correlations between age/T4. Conclusion. This study showed that the average of T4, TSH and vitamin D in the population were into the normal range but somebody had hypothyroidism disorder and vitamin D deficiency. Aging could reduce T4, vitamin D and increased TSH values.

Thyroid Hormones, T4, TSH, Hypothyroidism