Study of Dyslipidemia and its Association with Serum Ferritin and Amount of Blood Transfusion in β- Thalassemia Major Patients in a Tertiary Level Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Beta-thalassemia is thought to be the most common genetic blood condition in the world. Different kinds of Beta-thalassemia major have been shown to have lipid problems. The goal of this study is to evaluate the lipid profiles of beta-thalassemia major patients. The aim of the study was to study the association of dyslipidemia with serum ferritin levels and amount of blood transfusion among Beta thalassemia patients. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine and Hematology, Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. The study duration was 6 months, from January 2017 to July 2017. The targeted study sample size was 96, but due to the short duration of the study, a total of 40 patients were selected as the study population. Result: Hematological tests showed the mean hemoglobin level in the thalassemia group was 7.23 gm/dl, with a standard deviation of 1.23. Mean MCV, MCH, and MCHC in the thalassaemic group were significantly lower at 69.83 fl (SD8.34), 23.10 PGM (SD3.57), and 28.03 % (SD 2.58) compared to the normal range (P-value <0.001 in all parameters). Beta-thalassemia major patients had significantly lower high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p<0.001) compared to the normal range. However, serum triglycerides levels of Beta-thalassemia patients (211.5±31.54 mg/dl) were significantly higher [p-value < 0.001].But total cholesterol level was not statically significant among participants ( P-value 0.428). High levels of serum triglycerides were associated with high ferritin levels and an increased amount of blood transfusion. Low levels of HDL-C and LDL-C were associated with a high level of ferritin and an increased amount of blood transfusion. Conclusion: Our study revealed that there was a significant difference in various lipid levels between patients with beta-thalassemia major and normal values which may help physicians to design the therapeutic module for the treatment of such patients.