الفهرس 
Thalassemia Syndromes
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Abstract
Background: Beta thalassemia syndromes are hereditary blood disorders characterized by genetic deficiency in the synthesis of beta-globin chains. Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection is highly prevalent, varying from 5–15% in developed countries to 70% in the developing world. Objectives: The aim of this work was to determine the frequency of H. Pylori infection in children with beta thalassemia major with recurrent abdominal pain. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 50 multi-transfused β thalassemia major children with recurrent abdominal pain with their ages ranging from 5-18 years and a median age value of 9 years and IQR of 6-12 years (group I) who were divided into 2 subgroups according to infection with H. pylori: group IA including 24 children with beta thalassemia with recurrent abdominal pain proved to be infected with H. pylori and group IB including 26 children with beta thalassemia with recurrent abdominal pain with no H. pylori infection. This study included also 50 children complaining of recurrent abdominal pain but not suffering from thalassemia including 22 males and 28 females with their ages ranging from 5-18 years and a median of 10 years and IQR of 6-14 years as a control group (group II). All patients and controls were subjected to complete history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigations including CBC, serum iron, TIBC, serum ferritin, liver and renal functions, abdominal ultrasonography, detection of anti-HP antibody in serum samples using HP-IgG enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and qualitative immunechromotographic assay for detection of H. pylori in stool samples. Results: There was significantly higher frequency of H. pylori infection in the studied patients with beta thalassemia major with recurrent abdominal pain compared with controls (48% versus 24% respectively with p value of 0.012). There was significantly higher H. pylori infection among splenectomized beta thalassemic patients than non splenectomized patients (P value is 0.001). There was significant difference between group I and group II regarding site of abdominal pain, epigastric area is the commonest site of pain in group I while paraumbilical area is the commonest site of pain in group II (P value is 0.001), also there was significantly higher abdominal pain at epigastric region in group IA than group IB. Conclusion: H. Pylori infection is significantly higher in children with beta thalassemia with recurrent abdominal pain compared with control (P value is 0.001). Recommendations: H. pylori should be remembered as a probable cause of recurrent abdominal pain in children with transfusion dependent thalassemia major due to high frequency of H. pylori infection in patients with β-thalassemia major.