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Assessment of cognitive function in children with beta-thalassemia major: a cross-sectional study
Nelly Raafat1, Usama El Safy2, Nahed Khater2
1Department of Psychiatry, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Insights
Children with beta-thalassemia major show lower Performance IQ, but not Verbal IQ, compared to healthy peers. Cognitive function was not linked to disease factors in this study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Neuropsychology
- Child Development
Background:
- Beta-thalassemia major is a severe genetic blood disorder requiring lifelong transfusions.
- Cognitive impairment is a recognized complication in children with beta-thalassemia major.
- Understanding the specific cognitive deficits and their correlates is crucial for management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cognitive function in children with beta-thalassemia major.
- To identify associations between cognitive performance and demographic, clinical, and iron overload parameters.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 100 children with beta-thalassemia major was compared to 100 healthy controls.
- Cognitive function was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), Arabic version.
- Statistical analyses explored relationships between IQ scores and clinical variables.
Main Results:
- Patients with beta-thalassemia major had significantly lower Full-Scale IQ and Performance IQ scores compared to controls.
- No significant differences were observed in Verbal IQ between patients and controls.
- No significant correlations were found between IQ scores and demographic, transfusion, chelation, iron overload, or complication parameters.
Conclusions:
- Performance IQ is significantly impaired in children with beta-thalassemia major.
- Verbal IQ remains unaffected in this patient population.
- The study did not find a clear association between cognitive deficits and assessed clinical or demographic factors in pediatric beta-thalassemia major.
Abstract:
Multiple risk factors contribute to cognitive impairment in children with β-thalassemia major. For a more refined understanding of this issue, we attempted to evaluate cognitive function in β-thalassemia major patients and identify the relationship between possible cognitive dysfunction and the following: demography, transfusion and chelation characteristics, iron overload, and disease complications. We studied 100 β-thalassemia major children and 100 healthy controls who matched well in terms of age, sex, and socioeconomic status. All participants underwent psychometric assessment using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, Arabic version. The mean Full-Scale IQ and Performance IQ of patients were significantly lower than those of controls, whereas no significant difference was found for Verbal IQ. No significant relationship existed between IQ and any of the assessed parameters. We concluded that Performance IQ, not Verbal IQ, was significantly affected in β-thalassemia major patients, but there was no clear association between IQ and any of the parameters.
