Effect of wheat grass tablets on the frequency of blood transfusions in Thalassemia Major

Karnail Singh1, M S Pannu, Palwinder Singh

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Amritsar, Punjab, India. drkarnailambrish@gmail.com

Forty patients of Thalassemia Major children were treated with wheat grass tablets (WGT). The mean hemoglobin in the pre WGT was 8.54 +/- 0.33 g% whereas in WGT period was 9.13 +/- 0.14 g% (p < 0.001). The mean blood transfused as packed cells in pre WGT period was 326.82 +/- 74.10 ml/kg/year whereas during WGT period it was 256.39 +/- 45.47 ml/kg/year. The percentage difference in the amount of packed cells transfused in pre WGT and WGT period was 18.02 +/- 22.96 (p < 0.001). The decrease in the blood transfusion requirements was by 25% or more in 20 (60.6%) cases. The mean interval between the consecutive blood transfusions in Pre WGT period was 18.78 +- 4.48 days whereas in WGT period was 24.16 +- 4.78 days (p < 0.001). Wheat grass has the potential to increase the Hb levels, increase the interval between blood transfusions and decrease the amount of total blood transfused in Thalassemia Major patients.

Related Concept Videos

Blood Transfusion and Agglutination02:45

Blood Transfusion and Agglutination

Blood transfusion is a therapeutic measure to restore the blood volume after extensive blood loss due to an accident or a medical procedure. Blood transfusion involves drawing a certain amount of blood from a suitable donor and infusing it into the recipient.
History
The history of blood transfusion dates back to the 17th century, when early attempts were made in animals. In 1818 James Blundell, a British doctor, performed the first successful human blood transfusion. Later in 1900, Karl...
Blood Transfusion01:15

Blood Transfusion

Blood transfusion is a critical medical procedure that saves lives and treats various medical conditions. It involves transferring blood from a donor to a recipient. This process requires a thorough understanding of the ABO blood group system and its associated antigens and antibodies.
Blood Transfusion Overview
A blood transfusion is a medical procedure used to replace blood lost due to injury, surgery, or to treat conditions such as anemia or cancer. During a transfusion, donor blood is...
Bone Marrow Sampling and Transplants01:22

Bone Marrow Sampling and Transplants

Bone marrow transplant is a potential cure for several diseases, including cancer and specific genetic disorders. Notably, this procedure is applicable for patients suffering from aplastic anemia, certain types of leukemia, severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, thalassemia, sickle-cell disease, and certain cancers.
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy the...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Affecting Factors01:29

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Affecting Factors

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is the clinical practice of measuring specific drug levels in a patient's blood or body tissues to manage and optimize therapy. TDM is crucial for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows, like warfarin and phenytoin, where incorrect doses can lead to treatment failure or severe side effects. This monitoring ensures the dosage administered is within a safe and effective range. The factors affecting therapeutic drug monitoring include:Patient-Specific Factors:a.
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase01:11

Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

Genetic polymorphisms in drug targets have emerged as critical determinants of interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity. Pharmacogenomic investigations increasingly focus on identifying these variations to personalize and optimize therapeutic interventions. A drug target may be a receptor, enzyme, or signaling protein involved in pharmacologic responses or disease-related pathways. While early pharmacogenetic studies focused primarily on drug metabolism, current research...
Tissue Transplantation01:24

Tissue Transplantation

Tissue transplantation is a significant medical procedure involving the transfer of cells, tissues, or organs from a donor to a recipient, with the primary aim of restoring lost functions. This procedure is crucial in treating a broad spectrum of diseases, including kidney diseases, liver failure, heart disease, and certain types of cancers.
The Biology of Tissue Transplantation
The biology of tissue transplantation hinges on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. These molecules...