PERVASIVENESS OF IRON DEFICIENCY IN THALASSEMIA TRAIT IN PAKISTAN

Introduction: Thalassemia is considered the most common genetic disease in the world, and about 7% of the world's population are carriers. The vast majority of such cases are iron deficient.

Aim: This study was undertaken to identify patterns of iron levels in the features of thalassemia, and thus to identify coexisting iron deficiency.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine Unit-II of Services Hospital Lahore for one-year duration from June 2019 to May 2020. Adult anemia patients with hypochromic microcytic smear presenting to the outpatient clinic were screened for thalassemia based on clinical history, physical symptoms, and hemoglobin electrophoresis. A total of 50 anemia patients with thalassemia carriers were detected and selected for iron profile evaluation.

Results: Patients with iron deficiency detected on the basis of serum iron profile were compared with patients without iron deficiency. The mean age in the studied years was 30.38 ± 9.79 years. Among the studied population, 50% were men and 50% women. The highest incidence of coexisting iron deficiency was found in people aged 21-30 years. The frequency of iron deficiency among the b-type thalassemia trait was 30.2%. There was a statistically significant mean difference in Hb, MCV, MCH, MCHC, serum iron, TIBC, and S. saturation ferritin, indicating that subjects without iron deficiency had higher levels than subjects without iron deficiency (p <0.05).

Conclusion: Clinical iron deficiency may occur in people with thalassemia disease / in carriers of hereditary hemoglobin disorders. A complex condition should always be suspected, and iron supplements are often needed to improve the anemia condition.

Key words: trait of β-thalassemia, iron deficiency anemia.