Study of calcium metabolism in Beta-Talassemia major patients

disturbances in calcium metabolism and both impairment are some of the known complications observed in beta thalassemia major patients.although iron deposition has been recognized to be the main factor for organ dysfunction in these patients,the relatively low prevalence of hypoparathyroidism has led to giving more emphasis to Ca metabolism disturbance among others.availability of more patients compared to the previous studies was the determining facto in doing this study.in this descriptional study of 700 major thalassemic patients in seyed-al-shohada hospital in june 1995,a population of 153 patients were selected based on simple random sampling before transfusion.analusis of serum Ca,p,alkaline phosphatase,ferretin,Mg,albumine and liver function tests were performed prior to transfusion and on fasting blood.samples were taken on average a month after blood transfusion history was taken and with proper grouping.the results were analused.ten patients(6.3%) had hypocalcemia and one patient with a low serum PTH,low serum albumin in another patient rejected true hypocalcemia.all other patients had normal PTH& serum P,expect one patient who had low serum P.thus it is possible to conclude that patients with hypocalcemia,low or normal PTH, high or normal P had hypoparathyroidism.there was also a significant correlation between different age groups & ferritin,BMI:correlation between different BMI groups & age,Ca was significant,too.yet,the correlation between serum P& number of transfusion in tha last three months was significant(p<0.05).the relative prevelance of hypothroidism was about 3.6%.it seemed that calcium disturbance in these patients was due to factors other than low PTH.the correlation between Ca & number of transfusion in the last three months suggests that P increases has been the result if an increase in hemolysis.this also suggests that because of the same reason  & also due to malabsorbtion &liver dysfunction,there has been a disturbance in Ca metamolism.these rerults imply that prescribing Ca & vit D will be applicable and useful in most of the patients.