Matin S, Jahromi MG, Karemizadeh Z, Haghpanah S, De Sanctis V, Soliman A, Dehbozorgian J, Majd Z, Rezaei N, Karimi M. The Frequency of Adrenal Insufficiency in Adolescents and Young Adults with Thalassemia Major versus Thalassemia Intermedia in Iran.
Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2015;
7:e2015005. [PMID:
25574364 DOI:
10.4084/MJHID.2015.005]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Endocrine dysfunction is not uncommon complication in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia and is thought to occur as a consequence of excessive iron overload. The primary objective of this study is to determine the frequency of adrenal insufficiency in patients with thalassemia major and thalassemia intermediate.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study was done at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Southern Iran, in 2013. One hundred and ninety patients were divided into two groups; thalassemia major(TM) and thalassemia intermediate (TI) groups. We measured 8 AM serum cortisol, ACTH and ferritin concentrations in all patients.
RESULTS
The mean age of the TM and TI group were 22.5±5.7 and 23.8±6 years, respectively. 90 patients (47.4%) were splenectomized, 34 (36.2%) with TM and 56 (58.2%) with TI (p :<0.001). The median and interquartile range of serum ferritin levels were 2184±3700 ng/ml and 437±443ng/ml in TM and TI respectively (p< 0.001). Three patients with TM (1.6%) had low basal cortisol and ACTH levels. However, their cortisol response to ACTH stimulation was normal.
CONCLUSIONS
Low basal concentrations of cortisol and ACTH occurred in 1.6% of our adolescents young adult patients with TM suggesting a central defect in cortisol secretion at the basal state. However, cortisol response to standard - dose ACTH was normal in all patients with TM and TI.
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