title: Rapidly progressing bilateral cataracts in a patient with beta thalassemia and pellagra.
abstract: Soon after the diagnosis of pellagra in a 20-year-old patient with beta thalassemia, bilateral intumescent cataracts rapidly developed. We believe the patient's crystalline lenses were at an increased oxidative state due to iron overload from the thalassemia. Depletion of the lens epithelial cells of an important antioxidative agent (glutathione) as a result of niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency due to pellagra reduced the antioxidative capacity of the lenses. The oxidative damage led to rapid development of cataracts.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry and Warwickshire University Hospitals NHS Trust, Coventry, United Kingdom. athana1972@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Athanasiadis
authors.forename: Aristeidis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konstantinidis
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kyprianou
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Vaia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moschou
authors.forename: Kokkona
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kouzi-Koliakos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000378:metabolism; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009525:Niacin / Q000172:deficiency; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010383:Pellagra / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009525:Niacin; D005978:Glutathione