title: Adipocytokine concentrations in children with different types of beta-thalassemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beta-thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. It results from the impaired production of β-globin chains, leading to a relative excess of alpha-globin chains. Clinical severity separates this disease into three main subtypes: β- thalassemia major, β-thalassemia intermedia and β-thalassemia minor, the former two being clinically more significant. Inflammatory processes may play an important role in some of the complications of thalassemia. Adipose tissue is one of the most important endocrine and secretory organs that release adipocytokines like adiponectin, resistin and visfatin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to analyze adipocytokine concentrations (adiponectin, resistin and visfatin) in different types of β-thalassemia patients and determine any possible correlations with disease severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 29 patients who were transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia-major patients, 17 patients with β-thalassemia intermedia, 30 β-thalassemia minor patients. The control group consisted of 30 healthy children. Anthropometric measurements, complete blood count, biochemical parameters, serum concentrations of adiponectin, resistin, visfatin were performed for all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Resistin and visfatin concentrations were significantly higher in β-thalassemia minor patients than in controls. Adiponetin, resistin and visfatin concentrations were significantly higher in both β-thalassemia intermedia and major patients than in controls. The concentrations of adiponectin, resistin and visfatin were significantly higher in both β-thalassemia intermedia and major patients than in β-thalassemia minor patients. There was no significant difference between β-thalassemia intermedia and β-thalassemia major patients for adipocytokines concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We speculate that these adipocytokines may play a role in the development of complications in β-thalassaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine , Denizli , Turkey.
authors.forename: Yaşar
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Enli
authors.forename: Yasemin I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Balci
authors.forename: Cafer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gönen
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uzun
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polat
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D052243:Resistin / Q000097:blood*; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D016207:Cytokines; C499624:RETN protein, human; D052243:Resistin; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human
keywords: Beta-thalassemia; adipocytokine; adiponectin; resistin; visfatin