Biomedical Letters

Hematological and Plasma Minerals Examination of Iron Load in Thalassemia Patients

Muhammad Younis 1,2, Sana Shaikh 1,2, Muhammad Iqbal 3, Khawar Ali Shahzad 3*

1 The key Laboratory of Development Genes and Human Diseases, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Sipailou2, Nanjing, 210096, China

2 Institute of Biochemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

3 Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan

4 School of Medicine, Taizhou Polytechnic College, Taizhou 225300, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

Thalassemia is a common genetic disorder in which defected and decreased the production of hemoglobin (Hb) occur. In thalassemia, people are anemic because they have reduced the number of RBCs due to destruction and ineffective production of RBCs. In Pakistan β-thalassemia is the most common genetic disorder. The study was aimed to estimate the hematological parameters (RBC, WBC, Platelets, Hb, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, Basophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC) and the outcome of iron load on plasma minerals such as sodium (Na), potassium(K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), chloride (cl) and phosphorus (P) in β–thalassemic patients. The results were found propose that alterations in electrolytes concentrations then reference values, particularly increased phosphorus concentration (2.59 ± 0.50mmol/l) and decreased concentration of calcium (1.65 ± 0.33mmol/l) and magnesium (0.58 ± 0.61), but no significant difference was found in case of sodium (136 ± 2.70 mmol/l), potassium (5.0 ± 0.40mmol/l) and chloride (131 ± 14.1). There is a strong need to create awareness among patients about the consequences of iron overload in their body. Proper chelation of iron overload could improve the quality of life of these patients.