Background: Beta-thalassemia major affects multiple organs and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The goal of this analysis was to document the frequency of skin diseases among patients with beta-thalassemia major.
Methods: A sample of 78 patients with beta-thalassemia major was recruited and interviewed at the thalassemia clinic between April and June 2008. A dermatologist completed a skin examination of each patient and recorded any skin disease present. The patients' laboratory results and treatment modalities were recorded from the charts.
Results: Sixty-five (83.3%) of the 78 patients examined had a diagnosed skin disease: pruritus (37.2%), xerosis (34.6%), scars (24.4%), ephelides (23.1%), skin irritation/erythema caused by deferoxamine pump (12.8%), idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (6.4%), pityriasis alba (6.4%), tinea infections (5.1%), verruca vulgaris (5.1%), urticaria (3.8%), hyperhidrosis, contact dermatitis, and acne (2.6%), necrobiosis lipoidica (1.3%), melasma (1.3%), and others (14.1%). Pruritus and xerosis increased in frequency with age. The mean serum ferritin level was higher in patients with xerosis than in those without (5607.7 +/- 2997.5 ng/mL and 4285.2 +/- 4732.4 ng/mL, respectively) (P1/4 0.005). Moreover, xerosis was observed significantly more frequently inpatients using deferoxamine and deferiprone than in those using deferasirox (P1/4 0.047, P1/4 0.027, and P1/4 0.273, respectively).
Conclusion: Skin diseases, especially pruritus and xerosis, are observed highly frequently inpatients with beta-thalassemia major. Treatment is needed for these patients who already have other significant morbidities.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2009.04176.x | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Identification of a β-Globin Gene Mutation with the Genotype β-28(A > G), IVS-I-5(G > A)/βCD 71/72(+A) Using Third-Generation Sequencing.
Hemoglobin
January 2025
Precision Medical Lab Center, People's Hospital of Yangjiang, Yangjiang, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
This study presents the hematological and genetic analysis of a child with severe β-thalassemia harboring triple heterozygous mutations. The child, diagnosed with anemia at the age of 1 year, became transfusion-dependent and maintained a hemoglobin level of 72.00-84.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevalence and Spectrum of β-Thalassemia Mutations in Baghdad, Iraq: Data from the Premarital Screening Program.
Hemoglobin
January 2025
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Duhok, Duhok, Iraq.
The knowledge of the prevalence and molecular basis of β-hemoglobinopathies constitutes an important prerequisite for an effective prevention program. To address this issue in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, a total of 12526 individuals (6263 couples) attending three main Premarital Screening centers were enrolled. Individuals were labeled as β-hemoglobin disorders based on full blood counts and high-performance liquid chromatography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHEV Infection in Beta-Thalassemia Patients.
Pathogens
December 2024
Medical School, University of Patras, Rio, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Thalassemia is an inherited hematological disorder characterized by a decrease in the synthesis of or absence of one or more globin chains. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute viral hepatitis, constituting a major global health burden and emerging as a critical public health concern. HEV infection is mainly transmitted via the fecal-oral route; however, parenteral transmission through blood components has been reported in both developing and developed countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBeta-Thalassemia and Male Infertility: Unraveling the Oxidative Stress Connection-An Up-to-Date Review.
Diagnostics (Basel)
December 2024
First Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Background/objectives: Beta-thalassemia (BTH), a genetic disorder resulting from beta-globin gene mutations, affects over 1.5 million people globally. The disorder's multifactorial impact on male fertility, particularly through oxidative stress (OS), warrants focused study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDual α-globin-truncated erythropoietin receptor knockin restores hemoglobin production in α-thalassemia-derived erythroid cells.
Cell Rep
January 2025
Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Eli & Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. Electronic address:
The most severe form of α-thalassemia results from loss of all four copies of α-globin. Postnatally, patients face challenges similar to β-thalassemia, including severe anemia and erythrotoxicity due to the imbalance of β-globin and α-globin chains. Despite progress in genome editing treatments for β-thalassemia, there is no analogous curative option for α-thalassemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!