Background and Aims: Hepatitis C virus is one of the viral infections which is mainly transmitted by blood transfusion. Patients with thalassaemia frequently need blood transfusion and are in danger of HCV infection. In most cases of infection (85%) the virus evades the immune system and establishes a chronic infection that may lead to cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Liver is the main site of HC...

In this study various abnormal haemoglobin fractions on HPLC were observed in 158 cases out of the total 300 screened paediatric anaemic cases. Of the 300 paediatric cases, samples analyzed on CE-HPLC for haemoglobinopathies, maximum 67 (22.33%) cases were diagnosed as S-β double heterozygous, 39(13%) as sickle cell trait, 27 (9 %) as β-thalassaemia major, 10 (3.33 %) as sickle cell disease, 05...

Haemoglobin electrophoresis screening of 2341 infants from the oases of eastern Saudi Arabia, performed in an attempt to detect cases early and then to follow up and give better management to patients with sickle cell disease, showed 20% with S-trait and 43 with sickle cell disease (37 HbSS and 6 S-beta(0) thalassaemia). On follow-up from birth (or from 3 months) for a mean of 3 1/2 years there...

BACKGROUND Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) studies on children with chronic illness such as thalassaemia are limited. We conducted the first study to investigate if children with thalassaemia have a lower quality of life in the four dimensions as measured using the PedsQL 4.0 generic Scale Score: physical, emotional, social and role (school) functioning compared to the healthy controls a...

INTRODUCTION Metabolic bone disease represents a major cause of morbidity in patients with thalassaemia major. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and underlying contributory factors of osteopenia/osteoporosis in a randomly selected population of adult patients with thalassaemia major. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study population was selected using the random sampling method from t...

BACKGROUND Fatimid Foundation with its centers serves as a charitable organization for millions of blood disease carriers in Pakistan. This retrospective survival study is an analysis of the Thalassaemia patients registered in Multan centre who are followed up to nine years to assess the gender risk of death. METHODS Data on 120 patients of Thalassaemia during 1994-2002 was analyzed. The stan...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the frequency of metabolic syndrome and its components in subjects with β-thalassaemia minor. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 194 subjects, i.e. 92 subjects with β-thalassaemia minor (study group) and 102 subjects without β-thalassaemia minor (control group), were enrolled into this case-control study. Haemoglobin electrophoresis was performed on all patients. The wai...

OBJECTIVE To get preliminary data regarding the prevention of thalassaemia major in future generations. METHODS This Knowledge Attitude Practices study was conducted at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, from January to June 2016, using non-probability purposive sampling. Parents of children undergoing transfusion were interviewed. Questionnaires were used to collect...

Haemochromatotic cardiomyopathy is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with beta thalassaemia major. Once congestive heart failure develops most patients die in a few months. Congestive heart failure was reversed and echocardiographic findings were restored to normal in a 24 year old woman with beta thalassaemia who resumed treatment with chelation therapy (desferrioxamine).