Bone metabolism markers in thalassemia

: The A.A. performed a screening on 113 patients affected by beta-thalassemia major ranging in age between 2 and 40 years, randomized among those which come to the Microcitemic Center of our Institute, and in a control group. In everybody, serum levels of calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin and 25-OH vitamin D were measured. Average serum levels of PTH were significantly (P < 0.001) lower in patients than controls and 12.4% of them were clearly under normal range, especially in the group above 16 years of age. Also serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D were lower in thalassemic subjects than in controls, because of the presence of 32 patients with values under normal limit. Our results are in agreement with current literature that underline the increasing incidence of endocrine complications in thalassemic patients which undergo to high transfusion regimens, owing to the increase of emosiderosis due to the low compliance to iron chelation therapy. Controversial is the pathogenesis of the absence of hypocalcemia in many patients with hypoparathyroidism and the determinism of the deficit of vitamin D.