title: Is β-thalassaemia minor associated with metabolic disorder?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the frequency of metabolic syndrome and its components in subjects with β-thalassaemia minor.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 194 subjects, i.e. 92 subjects with β-thalassaemia minor (study group) and 102 subjects without β-thalassaemia minor (control group), were enrolled into this case-control study. Haemoglobin electrophoresis was performed on all patients. The waist circumference and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the subjects were recorded. Fasting blood glucose and serum lipid levels were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups were similar in terms of age and sex (p > 0.05 for each). The percentages of haemoglobin A2 (4.3 ± 0.4 vs. 2.0 ± 0.3) and haemoglobin F (3.38 ± 1.4 vs. 0.26 ± 0.4) and the mean corpuscular volumes (64 ± 4.7 vs. 81.5 ± 9.3) of the groups were statistically different (p < 0.001 for each). The frequency of metabolic syndrome and its components was similar in both groups (p > 0.05 for each). According to correlation analyses, the percentage of haemoglobin A2 correlated with fasting insulin, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein levels (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No association was found between β-thalassaemia minor and metabolic syndrome despite insulin resistance, which was shown in subjects with β-thalassaemia minor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Numune Education and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kırım
authors.forename: Şakir Özgür
authors.initials: ŞÖ
authors.lastname: Keşkek
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turhan
authors.forename: Tayyibe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D055105:Waist Circumference; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D007328:Insulin; D008074:Lipoproteins