TITLE:
A Review of Endocrine Disorders in Thalassaemia
AUTHORS:
Parijat De, Radhika Mistry, Christine Wright, Shivan Pancham, Wyn Burbridge, Kalyan Gangopadhayay, Terence Pang, Gautam Das
KEYWORDS:
Thalassaemia; Chelation; Endocrinopathies; Diabetes; Hypothyroidism
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Endocrine dysfunction
in thalassaemia is amongst the most common complication and is principally
attributed to excessive iron overload and suboptimal chelation. The prevalence
is quite high particularly in multiethnic populations but determining the
prevalence is often difficult due to the widespread heterogeneity of the population
and timing of exposure to chelation therapy. Disturbances in growth, pubertal
development, abnormal gonadal functions, impaired thyroid, parathyroid and
adrenal functions, diabetes and disorderly bone growth are commonly encountered.
Early detection and institution of appropriate transfusion regimen and
chelation therapy and treatment of complications are the keys to managing this population
including regular follow. In this article, we review the literature in
relation to the various endocrine complications encountered in thalassaemia.