Abstrakt

Can glycated hemoglobin be a biomarker for iatrogenic pancreatic iron deposition due to repeated blood transfusion in â thalassemia major? A pilot study in north indian population

Megha Arora, Kamna Singh, Binita Goswami, Ritu Singh

Introduction:To evaluateHbA1c, SOD,NOin childrenwith beta thalassemia major.Materials andMethods:Case control studywas performed inLHMC, New Delhi. The study comprised of 47 cases of thalassemia major and 47 age and sexmatched healthy controls.Whole blood samples were collected under aseptic conditions. HbA1c and SOD were estimated by commercially available kits and NO was estimated by modified Griess method. Results: HbA1c, SODandNOlevelswere very significantly high in cases as compared to controls.NO and SOD were very significantly correlated toHbA1c.AUC was > 0.7 for all the parameters which suggests that patients with beta thalassemia major can be evaluated for risk of oxidative stress by estimating SODorNO.HbA1c levels can be used to evaluate risk of secondary diabetes. Conclusions: Positive correlation was present between HbA1c with NO and SOD which suggests interplay between the various pathways responsible for the clinical manifestations of the disease. Repeated blood transfusions lead to iron deposition in pancreas which leads to secondary diabetes. HbA1c may be used to evaluate risk of iron overload in these patients but further studies with large sample size and detailed iron profile are required to use HbA1c as a biomarker of pathological iron deposition in pancreas.