Distribution of serum lipids and lipoproteins in patients with beta thalassaemia major; an epidemiological study in young adults from Greece.

Background: Beta-thalassaemia major (b-TM) has been defined as a combination of chronic hemolytic anemia, iron storage disease and myocarditis, and it has been associated with premature death especially due to heart failure. To the best of our knowledge the status of blood lipids in these patients has rarely been investigated. Thus, we assessed the levels of lipids and lipoproteins in a sample of cardiovascular disease free adult men and women with b-TM.

Methods: During 2003 we enrolled 192 consecutive patients with b-TM that visited our Institution for routine examinations. The Institution is considered the major reference center for b-TM in Greece. Of the 192 patients, 88 were men (25 +/- 6 years old) and 104 women (26 +/- 6 years old). Fasting blood lipid levels were measured in all participants.

Results: Data analysis revealed that 4% of men and 2% of women had total serum cholesterol levels > 200 mg/dl, and 11% of men and 17% of women had triglyceride levels > 150 mg/dl. In addition, mean HDL cholesterol levels were 32 +/- 11 mg/dl in men and 38 +/- 10 mg/dl in women, lipoprotein-a levels were 8.3 +/- 9 mg/dl in men and 8.8 +/- 9 mg/dl in women, apolipoprotein-A1 levels were 111 +/- 17 mg/dl in men and 123 +/- 29 mg/dl in women, and apolipoprotein-B levels were 60 +/- 20 mg/dl in men and 59 +/- 14 mg/dl in women. Total-to-HDL cholesterol ratios were 3.7 +/- 1.2 and 3.8 +/- 1.5 in men and women, respectively.

Conclusions: The majority of the patients had blood lipid levels (by the exception of HDL-cholesterol) within the normal range, and consequently the prevalence of lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities was much lower as compared to the general population of the same age. Interestingly, is that the total-to HDL cholesterol ratio was high in our patients, and may underline the importance of this index for the prognosis of future cardiac events in these patients.