Glycemic Abnormalities Assessment on Children and Adolescents with Beta-Thalassemia Major

Background Iron overloading in beta-thalassemia major individuals can cause organ damage. Iron excess can cause endocrine problems, including diabetes. Diabetes mellitus in patients with beta-thalassemia major represents a major concern, especially in children and adolescents. Aim To assess glycemic abnormalities in children and adolescents with beta-thalassemia major. Methods This cross-sectional study included beta-thalassemia major subjects with no previous diabetes mellitus history and routinely obtained blood transfusion. Laboratory investigations on the fasting insulin and blood glucose levels, 2 h postprandial plasma glucose, fasting insulin, and serum ferritin levels were conducted. Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated for assessing insulin resistance. Statistically, a significant correlation was obtained if the p-value was <0.05. Results This research consisted of 56 beta-thalassemia major children. The mean age of the subjects was 9.46 (2-18) years old. At diagnosis, the mean age was 40 (3-180) months old. We found a significant correlation between serum ferritin and ages, body weight, height, diagnosis age, and blood volume per transfusion of the included subjects. Nevertheless, there was no significant correlation between serum ferritin with glycemic parameters, including fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial plasma glucose, fasting insulin levels, and HOMA-IR found with a p-value >0.05. Conclusions A significant correlation was identified between age at diagnosis and volume of blood per transfusion with serum ferritin levels. However, there was no significant correlation between serum ferritin levels with glycemic status.