Determination of Lipid Profile in Preschool Children and Pre- college Students with Beta-thalassemia Minor and Control Group

Thalassemias are heterogeneous group of inherited anemias caused by various mutations in the genes encoding the synthesis of α or β-chains of hemoglobin. It seems that there are some aspects in thalassemia that protect minor thalassemic patients from coronary heart disease. From those aspects we can count such as low serum lipoproteins, low arterial hypertension, and anemia and so on. A cross sectional descriptive and analytical study was designed to compare some lab data of minor thalassemic students and others. So 570 preschool children (6-7 years of age) and 450 pre-college students (1719 year of age) in 4 educational discrete of Shiraz (center of Fars province-Iran) were selected in a random cluster manner were tested for CBC and serum lipids (TG, cholesterol, LDL, HDL) and were screened for minor thalassemia by CBC and HbA2 (by column chromatography). For definition of minor thalassemia as cut-off Point HbA2 ≥ 3.5% was accepted. After selection of minor thalassemic patients, serum lipids (TG, cholesterol, HDL, LDL) for them and control group were checked. According to this study in preschool children there is no significant difference between minor thalassemic patients and control group. In pre-collage students TG in control group is lesser than minor beta thalassemic patients (P value=0.004); but total cholesterol and LDL in patients group is lesser than control group and difference is significant. Total cholesterol and LDL in pre-college beta thalassemia minor students are lesser than control group. But TG in control group is lesser than patients group. According to this study in preschool children there is no significant difference in serum lipids between minor thalassemic students and control group.