Thalassemias are a geographically widespread group of genetic hemoglobinopathies characterized by defective globin production and hemolytic anemia [1]. Thalassemic patients are frequently transfusiondependent and this, in addition to heightened gastrointestinal avidity for iron, creates a propensity for iron overload [1]. Infection is a major cause of morbidity in thalassemic patients and is se...

results mean ± standard deviation (sd) of plasma zinc levels was determined as 0.78 ± 0.22 mg/l. also zinc level was 0.76 ± 0.19 mg/l and 0.80 ± 0.24 mg/l in thalassemic and non thalassemic patients, respectively. t-test analysis showed that there is no significant difference between these two groups regarding plasma zinc level (p = 0.235). conclusions it is concluded that zinc level of studied...

Regular blood transfusion followed by iron chelation therapy is just a supportive treatment for thalassemia major which is associated with serious complications. Growth disturbances are a major clinical feature of untreated patients with thalassemia. The increasing mean survival age is indicative of the fact that modern therapies are generally safe and effective but it is becoming increasingly ...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common transfusion transmitted disease in poly-transfused patients worldwide. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effects of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN A-2a) in reducing serum ALT and eradicating serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in HCV infected polytransfused thalassemic patients. Materials and Methods: A cohort of 51 HCV-...

One hundred seven adult patients with thalassemia aged from 17 through 35 years and transplanted from HLA-identical siblings between November 1988 and September 1996 were evaluated on December 31, 1997. The outcome experience of 20 consecutive patients transplanted between November 13, 1988 and January 10, 1991 and reported in September 1992 is updated after 5 additional years. The experience o...

up to 30% of iranian adult multi-transfused thalassemic patients are infected with hepatitis c virus (hcv) which can intensify the progression of liver disease caused by iron overload in this group of patients. our aim was to assess the biochemical and virological response of interferon alfa (inf-α) and its safety in thalassemic patients with chronic hcv infection. this trial was a single cente...

introduction: transfusion-transmitted infections (tti) continue to be a major challenge for blood transfusion organizations in the world and multi- transfused patients (mtps) are at higher risk of infection. htlv-1 is a retrovirus that easily transmitted via blood cell products. the aim of this study is determine the seroprevalence of htlv-1 in major thalassemic patients from kermanshah provinc...

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a disorder of iron metabolism characterized by increased iron intake and progressive storage and is related to mutations in the HFE gene. Interactions between thalassemia and hemochromatosis may further increase iron overload. The ethnic background of the Brazilian population is heterogeneous and studies analyzing the simultaneous presence of HFE and thalassemia-re...