Prevalence of low bone mass among adolescents with nontransfusion-dependent hemoglobin E/β-thalassemia and its relationship with anemia severity.

Background: Low bone mass is common among adolescents with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia despite adequate transfusion and iron chelation. However, there are few reports regarding bone mineral density (BMD) among adolescents with nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT). Indeed, only BMD data in patients with nontransfusion-dependent (NTD) β-thalassemia intermedia have been reported.