الفهرس 
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Abstract
Thalassemias are considered one of the most common genetic disorders in Egypt and the whole world. They occur due to altered or absent Hb chain synthesis leading to ineffective erythropoiesis and subsequent Anemia.
Its diagnosis depends on clinical examination and laboratory evaluation. β-thalassemia diseases are classified according to severity of the disease into three main grades: β-TM, β-TI and β-thalassemia minor. The complications include thromboembolic manifestations, bony changes and complications related to iron overload and deposition in various body organs as cardiac, hepatic, endocrinal, osteoporosis, skin and others.
It is believed that a chronic inflammatory state with increased level of pro-inflammatory cytokines is detected in patients with β-thalassemia disease and lifelong RBCs transfusion is largely considered the main treatment for severe forms of thalassemia apart from transplantable patients and gene therapy.
Visfatin is a pro-inflammatory adipocytokine which is mostly expressed in visceral AT.
This study aimed at measuring serum visfatin level in β -thalassemia patients and its possible correlation to disease severity testing serum visfatin level in different types of β-thalassemia disease (β-TM, β-TI and β-thalassemia minor).
This study was conducted in Hematology-Oncology Clinic in Pediatric Hospital - Ain-Shams University Hospital in the period from November 2016 till February 2017and it included forty-one pediatric β-thalassemia patients & twenty age and sex matched healthy subjects as a control group (20 subjects). The patients group was further subdivided into two groups: 1- β-TM (20 subjects), 2- β-TI/thalassemia minor (21 subjects). All individuals in our study were subjected to full medical history, thorough clinical examination excluding patients with any signs of infection. Laboratory investigations included CRP, CBC, serum visfatin level using ELISA, Hb electrophoresis and serum ferritin level measurement for all patients and CRP, CBC and serum visfatin level for the control group.
On comparing ß-TM group to control group, median of serum visfatin level (10.7ng/ml) was significantly higher in ß-TM group compared to control group (3.9ng/dl) (p< 0.001).
On comparing ß-TM group to ß-TI/minor group, the median of serum visfatin (10.7 ng/ml) was significantly higher in ß-TM group compared to ß-TI /minor group (5.75 ng/ml) (p< 0.001).
Also we found that there is a relationship between serum visfatin and the degree of severity of β-thalassemia disease (β-TM, β-TI/β-thalassemia minor) (medians are 10.7 ng/ml and 5.75 ng/ml respectively) (p < 0.001). Also a positive correlation was found only between platelet count and serum visfatin in the β-TM group (r = 0.835, p < 0.001).