Neutrophil apoptosis in patients with beta-thalassemia major

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Hale Oren1, Bariş Sahin, Gülersu Irken

  • 1Department of Pediatric Hematology, Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. hale.oren@deu.edu.tr

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
|March 15, 2003
PubMed

Insights

In beta-thalassemia major patients, neither high iron levels nor desferrioxamine treatment increased neutrophil apoptosis, suggesting it doesn't cause increased infection susceptibility.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Immunology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Beta-thalassemia major patients exhibit increased infection susceptibility due to iron toxicity affecting neutrophil function and the reticuloendothelial system.
  • The role of neutrophil apoptosis in this increased susceptibility remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between neutrophil apoptosis, infection frequency, desferrioxamine (DFO) treatment, and serum ferritin levels in children with beta-thalassemia major.

Main Methods:

  • Flow cytometry (Annexin V-FITC) was used to assess neutrophil apoptosis in 35 children with beta-thalassemia major and 15 healthy controls.
  • Patients were divided into DFO-treated and non-DFO groups.
  • Infection episode frequency was recorded from hospital records; serum ferritin and neutrophil counts were also analyzed.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in neutrophil count or apoptosis were observed between beta-thalassemia major patients and controls, or between DFO-treated and non-DFO groups.
  • Patients receiving DFO had a significantly higher frequency of infection episodes compared to other groups.
  • No significant correlation was found between neutrophil apoptosis and infection frequency, serum ferritin, or neutrophil count.

Conclusions:

  • High serum ferritin levels and DFO use do not enhance in vivo neutrophil apoptosis in beta-thalassemia major patients.
  • Enhanced neutrophil apoptosis is unlikely to be the cause of increased infection susceptibility in these patients.

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