Inappropriate leptin secretion in thalassemia: a potential cofactor of pubertal timing derangement.

The objective of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the role played by scarce leptin production in the deranged sexual development observed in patients with thalassemia. We studied 101 patients at different stages of puberty. Patients of both sexes were divided into three groups according to Tanner stages: T1-2 (20 males and 12 females), T3-4 (9 males and 4 females) and T5 (48 males and 8 females).