Changes of bone density in pediatric patients with β-thalassemia major after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
BACKGROUND
Thalassemia major and its treatment by stem cell transplantation can have deleterious effects on bone integrity. This study assesses the adverse effects of transplantation on growing bones of pediatric thalassemic patients.


METHODS
Bone mineral density (BMD) of 20 patients from three thalassemia classes whose mean (SD) age was 7.4 (3.8) years were tested with a Norland XR-46 device at baseline (before transplantation), 6 and 12 months after transplantation.


RESULTS
At 6 and 12 months after transplantation we observed no significant changes in mean BMD. There were no Z-scores less than -2 among patients. Class 3 thalassemia did not negatively impact BMD. Calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P) and ferritin levels were not significantly related to patients' BMD scores. Transfusion duration and chelation therapy showed positive significant relationships to BMD (g/cm(2)), but no significant relation with the BMD Z-score. The deleterious relation between corticosteroid use and changes in BMD was not significant. In contrast, patients who developed acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) after transplantation showed significant adverse effects on BMD of their femur (P = 0.020) and spine (P = 0.027).


CONCLUSIONS
Stem cell transplantation in pediatric thalassemic patients who do not develop aGVHD does not appear to have any significant positive or negative effects on BMD.
Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Amir Ali
AA
Hamidieh
Zohreh
Z
Hamidi
Leila
L
Nedaeifard
Ramin
R
Heshmat
Kamran
K
Alimoghaddam
Bagher
B
Larijani
Ardeshir
A
Ghavamzadeh
Mohammad Reza
MR
Mohajeri-Tehrani
D000293:Adolescent; D015519:Bone Density; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000473:pathology; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000150:complications; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
D010758:Phosphorus; D005293:Ferritins; D002118:Calcium