Study of Serum Immunoglobulin Levels and T lymphocyte Subsets in Children with Beta Thalassemia with Iron Overload in Egypt. 2016

Adel A Hagag, and Mohamed A Elgamasy, and Enaam S Abd Elbar
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.

Beta thalassemia is an inherited hemoglobin disorder resulting in chronic hemolytic anemia that requires lifelong transfusion therapy. Repeated blood transfusions and RBCs hemolysis are the main causes of iron overload, which in addition to immune abnormalities, are common predisposing factors to infection in patients with thalassemia. The aim was to study serum immunoglobulin levels and T lymphocyte subsets in children with beta- thalassemia in relation to iron overload. This study was conducted on 40 children with beta thalassemia major including 24 males and 16 females with mean age of 9.22 ± 3.9 and 20 healthy children of matched age and sex as a control. All children were subjected to assessment of infection episodes, complete blood picture, Hb electrophoresis, serum iron status, T cell subsets including CD3, CD4 and CD8 using Becton Dickinson FAC Scan flow cytometer and serum immunoglobulin levels including IgM, IgA and IgG by a commercial nephelometry assay using a BN-II device. Serum ferritin and iron were significantly higher but total iron binding capacity was significantly lower in patients than controls (Mean serum ferritin was 3418.23±2950.7 in the studied patients versus 39.48±2.48 in the control group with p value of 0.00, mean serum iron was 222±56.61 in the studied patients versus 90±31.87 in the control group with P value of 0.00 and mean serum total iron binding capacity was 198.38±19.9in the studied patients versus 315.7±24.85 in the control group with P value of 0.00). CD3 and CD4 were significantly lower but CD8 was significantly higher in patients than controls. The count (mean ± SD cells/ mm2) for CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in patients was 1733.25 ± 381.87, 889.67 ± 282.86 and 779.72 ± 390.63 respectively as compared to 1887 ± 390.56, 1003 ± 250.96 and 663 ± 116.71 in the control group respectively (P values 0.00, 0.048 and, 0.02 respectively). The mean ± SD (mg/dl) of serum immunoglobulin's G, M and A showed significant variation between patients and controls including significantly lower IgM and significantly higher IgG, and IgA in patients than controls with P values of 0.014, 0.049 and 0.020 for G, M, and A respectively).There were significant negative correlations between CD3, CD4, IgM and ferritin and significant positive correlations between CD8, IgG, IgA and ferritin. In conclusion; Iron overload affects humeral and cell mediated immunity in thalassemic patients therefore regular follow up for iron overload is recommended.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007501 Iron A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN. Iron-56,Iron 56
D008297 Male Males
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005260 Female Females
D005293 Ferritins Iron-containing proteins that are widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Their major function is to store IRON in a nontoxic bioavailable form. Each ferritin molecule consists of ferric iron in a hollow protein shell (APOFERRITINS) made of 24 subunits of various sequences depending on the species and tissue types. Basic Isoferritin,Ferritin,Isoferritin,Isoferritin, Basic
D005434 Flow Cytometry Technique using an instrument system for making, processing, and displaying one or more measurements on individual cells obtained from a cell suspension. Cells are usually stained with one or more fluorescent dyes specific to cell components of interest, e.g., DNA, and fluorescence of each cell is measured as it rapidly transverses the excitation beam (laser or mercury arc lamp). Fluorescence provides a quantitative measure of various biochemical and biophysical properties of the cell, as well as a basis for cell sorting. Other measurable optical parameters include light absorption and light scattering, the latter being applicable to the measurement of cell size, shape, density, granularity, and stain uptake. Cytofluorometry, Flow,Cytometry, Flow,Flow Microfluorimetry,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting,Microfluorometry, Flow,Cell Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated,Cell Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated,Cytofluorometries, Flow,Cytometries, Flow,Flow Cytofluorometries,Flow Cytofluorometry,Flow Cytometries,Flow Microfluorometries,Flow Microfluorometry,Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sortings,Microfluorimetry, Flow,Microfluorometries, Flow,Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated Cell,Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated Cell
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000906 Antibodies Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the ANTIGEN (or a very similar shape) that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially PLASMA CELLS).

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