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Thalassemia and iron deficiency in a group of northeast Thai school children: relationship to the occurrence of anemia

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Abstract

The cross-sectional study assessed anemia, thalassemia, and hemoglobinopathies, as well as iron deficiency, among 190 northeastern Thai school children aged 10 to 11 years. The aim was to analyze the reasons for anemia among the group. Hemoglobin concentration and other hematological parameters were determined using an automated blood cell counter. Beta-thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of hemoglobin. Alpha-thalassemia was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and related techniques. Iron deficiency was assessed using serum ferritin (SF) <20 ng/ml as indicator. Based on the WHO criteria, anemia was defined by hemoglobin (Hb) level <11.5 g/dl. Twenty five out of 190 children (13.2%; 95% CI = 8.7–18.8%) were anemic. Iron deficiency was found in only two out of 190 children (1.0%; 95% CI = 0.1–3.8%), but the two iron deficient children were not anemic. The proportion of thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies among the group was 61.1% (95% CI = 53.7–68.0%). As underlying reasons for anemia, thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies were found in 22 out of 25 (88.0%) anemic children. Beta-thalassemia and homozygous Hb E seem to be important, while this was less obvious for heterozygous α-thalassemia and heterozygous Hb E. Conclusion: The results suggest that thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies may be major contributing factors to the occurrence of anemia in this area among the children’s population.

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Abbreviations

SF:

Serum ferritin

CI:

Confidence interval

Rbc:

Red blood cell

Hb:

Hemoglobin

MCV:

Mean corpuscular volume

MCH:

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

MCHC:

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

RDW:

Red blood cell distribution width

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported in part by grants from the Graduate School, Khon Kaen University, and Office of the Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Education, Thailand. We would like to thank the directors and teachers of four schools; Choomchon Ban Wang Perm, Nong Ta Kai Pittaya, Ban Mai Sok Som Kob, and Si Chomphu Kindergarten school, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Thanks to Dr. Ian Thomas for correcting the English.

Conflict of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

    Nichathorn Panomai & Supawadee Yamsri

  2. Department of Nutrition, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

    Nichathorn Panomai, Pattara Sanchaisuriya & Frank P. Schelp

  3. Centre for Research and Development of Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

    Kanokwan Sanchaisuriya, Supawadee Yamsri, Goonnapa Fucharoen & Supan Fucharoen

Authors
  1. Nichathorn Panomai
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  2. Kanokwan Sanchaisuriya
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  3. Supawadee Yamsri
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  4. Pattara Sanchaisuriya
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  5. Goonnapa Fucharoen
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  6. Supan Fucharoen
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  7. Frank P. Schelp
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Correspondence to Kanokwan Sanchaisuriya.

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Panomai, N., Sanchaisuriya, K., Yamsri, S. et al. Thalassemia and iron deficiency in a group of northeast Thai school children: relationship to the occurrence of anemia. Eur J Pediatr 169, 1317–1322 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1218-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1218-3

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