Evaluation of glucose metabolism in hepatitis serology negative beta thalassemia major patients

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impaired glucose metabolism and their possible risk factors in beta thalassemia major (TM) patients negative for hepatitis serology and PCR Design: Prospective descriptive study Setting: Department of Pediatric Hematology, Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey Subjects: Patients with history of familial diabetes mellitus (DM) and hepatitis serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive TM patients were excluded. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was done on 32 TM patients. Insulinogenic index, ß-cell function index and insulin resistance index were calculated. Main Outcome Measures: Glucose metabolism in beta TM patients negative for hepatitis serology and PCR Results: Seven patients (1.8%) had impaired glucose metabolism (IGM). Three patients (9.3%) were diagnosed with DM, one (3.1%) patient with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and three (9.3%) patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Cases with IGM had significantly higher, annual erythrocyte consumption rate (ml/kg/year), ferritin, alaninaminotransferase (ALT), post-splenectomy period, age at first transfusion when compared with normal glucose metabolism (NGM) patients (p < 0.05). Insulinogenic index decreased in IGM patients compared to NGM patients (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Our results show that annual erythrocyte consumption rate, ferritin, post-splenectomy period, insulinogenic index and ALT values are predictive of IGM in TM patients negative for hepatitis serology and PCR.