Growth pattern in thalassemic children and their correlation with serum ferritin

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine the effects of iron overload on growth and correlation of serum ferritin and growth disorders in children with thalassemia. METHODOLOGY: It was a crosssectional study conducted from January to June 2019 on 70 children age up to 18 years with transfusiondependent thalassemia. Detailed history, demographics, anthropometric parameters, clinical and laboratory details were evaluated. Data was analyzed by statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) software. Logistic regression model was used to determine the correlation between serum ferritin with short stature. RESULTS: It included 46 male and 24 female, of which 65.71% had short stature and 77% were underweight. The mean serum ferritin level was 1,560.9 μg/L, 45.71% have serum ferritin level > 2,500 μg/L, and 65.71% had hemoglobin levels of 5–8 g/dL before transfusion. The receiver operating curve value of serum ferritin was 1,107 μg/L with respect to the incidence of short stature and there was significant correlation between serum ferritin level and the incidences of short stature (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between serum ferritin level and growth disorders.