| Summary: | Zinc (Zn) is essential for appropriate growth and proper immune function, both of which may be impaired in thalassemia children. Factors that can affect serum Zn levels in these patients may be related to their disease or treatment, or have nutritional causes. We assessed the serum Zn levels of children with thalassemia paired with a sibling. The primary aim of the overall project was to assess histocompatibility among siblings for possible bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and also rule out Zn deficiency in BMT candidates. Baseline Zn levels were obtained from 30 children in Islamabad, Pakistan. Serum Zn levels and anthropometric data measures were compared among siblings. Thalassemia patients’ median age was 4.5 years (range 1 - 10.6 years) and siblings was 7.8 years (range 1.1 - 17 years). The median serum Zn levels for both groups were within normal range: 100 µg/dl (10 µg/dl - 297 µg/dl) for patients, and 92 µg/dl (13 µg/dl - 212 µg/dl) for siblings. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Patients’ serum Zn values correlated positively with their corresponding sibling (r=0.635, p < 0.001). There were no correlations between patients' Zn levels, height for age z-scores, serum ferritin levels, chelation, or blood counts (including both total leukocyte and absolute lymphocyte counts). In this study, patients with thalassemia do not seem to be prone to Zn deficiency. Patients’ serum Zn values correlated with their sibling's values suggesting that serum Zn levels are more influenced by familial and environmental factors than by thalassemia per se or its treatment.
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