Abstract
Clinical advances in the treatment of thalassaemia major (TM) patients have helped to increase substantially the life expectancy of patients. The TM patients today represent the first generation of adult thalassemics. As patients enter puberty, they begin to experience a variety of endocrine abnormalities, presumably the results of chronic anaemia and tissue iron deposition from the chronic transfusion therapy. In patients with TM, the anterior pituitary gland is particularly sensitive to free radical stresses. Recent reports have documented a frequency of severe growth hormone deficiency in 13–32% of adult patients with TM. The prevalence of impaired adrenal function in TM patients has been reported from 0 to 33%, depends on the age of the population studied, although clinical adrenal insufficiency (AI) is rare. Thyroid dysfunction has been observed in 13–60% of patients, but its severity is variable in different series. Acquired central hypothyroidism (CH) is a rare complication.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
