Evaluation of iron status by serum ferritin level in Iranian carriers of beta thalassemia minor.

Background: Conflicting data exists on iron metabolism in adults with beta thalassemia minor (BTM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum ferritin (SF) levels in Iranian adults with BTM in order to determine the iron status in these subjects.

Methods: Eighty four (41 males, 43 females) Iranian adults with BTM and 102 (55 males, 47 females) healthy subjects as a control group were enrolled in the study. SF level was measured by immunoradiometric assay (IRMA).

Results: The mean SF concentration in the BTM group was 101.84+/-8.5 microg/L, which was higher than the mean SF in non-BTM subjects (67.98+/-5.4 microg/L, p=0.001). Comparing SF concentrations between BTM males and males in the control group showed that the SF level was significantly higher in BTM males (150.57+/-75.13 microg/L vs. 96.66+/-56.79 microg/L, p<0.001). Similar data was found for females (55.38+/-47.94 microg/L in the BTM group vs. 34.42+/-25.72 microg/L in the non-BTM group, p=0.01).

Conclusion: This study showed that BTM may play a role in improving iron status in females with BTM. However in males, BTM can lead to iron overload. Therefore, we suggest determining the levels of SF in subjects with BTM, especially in males, to avoid harmful effects of iron overload in early stages of the disorder.