Treatment of 100 chronic thalassemic leg wounds by plasma-rich platelets.

Objective: Thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of congenital hemoglobinopathies caused by mutations in the globin gene complex that result in an unbalanced globin synthesis. Unmatched globin chains bind to the cytosolic surface of red blood cell membrane where they cause oxidative damage that might in part be responsible for membrane weakness. The deformability of red blood cells and hypercoagulable state in thalassemic patients have been incriminated in leg ulcer formation, as this might cause ischemia to the skin and consequently friability and ulceration.