Evaluation of the Thyroid Status and Types of Thyroid Dysfunction in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients More Than 9 Years of Age in Wassit, Iraq 2020

Ahmed I.  I. Ansaf; Safa Faraj; Hussien A. Abdul-Azziz

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2021.7407

Authors

Ahmed I. I. Ansaf Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Wasit University, Al Kut, Wasit, Iraq
Safa Faraj Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Wasit University, Al Kut, Wasit, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4126-055X
Hussien A. Abdul-Azziz Department of Pediatrics, Al-Kut Materntiy and Child Hospital, Kut, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.7407

Keywords:

Beta-thalassemia major, Hypothyroidism, Serum ferritin, Short stature

Abstract

Background: Hypothyroidism is one of the commonest endocrine complications that can happen in patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major (BTM) above nine years old which may pass hidden and untreated for years.

Aim: To evaluate the thyroid status and types of thyroid dysfunction in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients above 9 years of age.

Method: A Cross-Sectional study was performed on sixty-six randomly selected patients above 12 years of age with BTM in Al-Kut Heriditory Blood Disease Center at Wassit province from March to August 2020. Thyroid function tests were done (TSH, T3, and T4) to detect the thyroid status and identify patients with thyroid dysfunction and determine the type of hypothyroidism (Primary, central, Subclinical). Data collected include Age, Sex, weight, height, Serum ferritin and mean hemoglobin level, Type of chelation therapy, dose, compliance, and frequency of blood transfusion, other diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus, HCV, HBV, HIV, and Heart Failure were evaluated statistically.

Results: In the studied patients, Thirty-one patients (46.96%) were found to have hypothyroidism;( Seven of them (10.6%) had primary hypothyroidism, Sixteen(24.2%) had subclinical hypothyroidism and eight (12.1%) had central hypothyroidism).

Twenty-one (67.74 %) patients with Hypothyroidism were found to have stunted height or short stature (with significant p.value 0.03) from the 13 (41.9%) who had subclinical hypothyroidism.

By Pearson correlation, increasing serum ferritin levels significantly affect decreasing thyroxin (T4) levels with inverse correlation (P value 0.0001), (r)= -0.45.

Conclusion: in this study, there was a high prevalence of hypothyroidism in BTM and subclinical hypothyroidism is the most common type, which signifies the importance of regular screening and close supervision especially when high ferritin and or short stature are present.

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Author Biographies

Ahmed I. I. Ansaf , Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Wasit University, Al Kut, Wasit, Iraq

Safa Faraj, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Wasit University, Al Kut, Wasit, Iraq

Hussien A. Abdul-Azziz , Department of Pediatrics, Al-Kut Materntiy and Child Hospital, Kut, Iraq

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