Serum levels of lipids and lipoproteins in Syrian patients with beta-thalassemia major

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation serum lipids, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B and total antioxidant status (TAS) in syrian patients with beta-thalassemia major.

METHODS: This study was carried out at Damascus University (Biochemical Laboratories of Medicine and Pharmacy Colleges), Syria between May 2002 and April 2003. This study included 30 patients with beta-thalassemia major, aged between 1.5 and 16-years. All patients had undergone regular blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy (through thalassemia center, Damascus, Syria); also 30 control subjects matched for age were studied. Serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, apolipoprotein A1 (apo A1), apolipoprotein B (apo B), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and total antioxidant status (TAS) were determined. Blood samples were withdrawn after at least 12-hours of patients fasting and before the blood transfusion.

RESULTS: beta-thalassemia major patients had significantly lower total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and lower density lipoprotein (LDL-C) compared with control (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.003). While serum triglyceride (TG) and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels were higher in b-thalassemia patients than in controls (P<0.0001). The reduction was significant (P<0.0001), in apolipoprotein A1 (apo A1) but not significant (P=0.537) in apo B serum levels, in patients compared to control subjects. Total antioxidant status (TAS) values were lower in beta-thalassemia major patients than in controls.

CONCLUSION: The results might suggest that beta- thalassemia may represent an interesting metabolic model: anemia, an activated macrophage system and defective liver function seem interrelated to the final serum lipoprotein pattern. This suggests that antioxidants counteract lipid peroxidation processes and have a protective effect against oxidative damage of red cells of beta-thalassemia patients.