Table 1. Characteristics of Transfused and Non-Transfused Subjects with Thalassemia^.
| Transfused Thalassemia (n=257) |
Non-Transfused Thalassemia (n=113) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 23.7 ± 11.4 | 21.3 ± 13.4 | NS |
| % Pediatric, ≤ 20 yrs | 44.7% | 60.2% | |
| % Adult, > 20 yrs | 55.3% | 39.8% | |
| Sex, % male | 51% | 44% | NS |
| Ethnicity | Asian, 37.0% Caucasian, 60.3% Other, 2.7% |
Asian, 55.8% Caucasian, 14.2% Other, 14.2% |
0.001 |
| Thalassemia Genotype ~ | ß-thalassemia (94.0%) E beta Thal (5.1%) Hb H/CS (0.8%) |
ß-thalassemia (39.8%) E Beta Thal (27.4%) Hb H & Hb H/CS (32.7%) |
|
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 10.1 ± 1.2 | 8.9 ± 1.6 | 0.001 |
| Serum ferritin, ng/mL (range) |
2026 ± 1666 (94 to 11,995) |
833 ± 1638 (10 to 12,280) |
0.001 |
| Serum transferrin receptor, ug/mL | 19.8 ± 11.2 | 40.3 ± 21.1 | 0.001 |
| Height Z-score, pediatrics | −1.2 ± 1.2 | −1.1 ± 1.1 | NS |
|
Body Mass Index, kg/m2 all adult subjects (n=187) |
23.3 ± 3.6 (n=136) |
21.4 ± 2.4 (n=42) |
0.0001 |
| Underweight, BMI <18.5 | 5.2 % | 9.5 % | NS, 0.009#1,0.005#2 |
| Overweight/Obese >25.0 | 26.5 % | 11.9 % | NS, <0.001#1,<0.00 1#2 |
|
Body Mass Index, kg/m2 ^^ all pediatric subjects (n=183) |
18.9 ± 4.1 (n=115) |
18.0 ± 3.3 (n=68) |
NS |
| Underweight, <5th centile | 7.8 % | 11.8 % | NS, NS#1 , 0.03#2 |
| Overweight, >95th centile | 3.5 % | 1.5 % | NS, NS#1, NS#2 |
| AP L1-L4 Spine Z-score | −2.0 ± 1.2 | −1.6 ± 1.1 | 0.002 |
| Age at Menarche, years | 15.5 ± 4.1 (88) |
13.9 ± 1.9 (38) |
0.004 |
| Calcium intake, mg/day (range) * |
1713 ± 920 (79 to 5,700) |
1353 ± 844 (50 to 3,743) |
NS |
| Calcium / Vitamin D | |||
| Supplementation** | 68.4% | 55.8% | NS |
| Current Activity Level, % | |||
| Very Light | 6.0% | 10.0% | |
| Light | 17.3% | 13.6% | NS |
| Moderate | 27.4% | 30.9% | |
| Active | 30.6% | 27.3% | |
| Very Active | 18.5% | 18.2% | |
| Co-morbidities | |||
| Hypogonadism, % | 54.0% | 13.3% | <0.001 |
| Growth hormone deficiency, % |
14.0% | 2.7% | 0.001 |
| Diabetes, % | 14.2% | 1.8% | 0.003 |
| Hypothyroidism, % | 11.0% | 2.7% | 0.008 |
| Low bone mass, % | 52.1% | 43.4% | NS |
^
Continuous variables were summarized as mean ± SD and compared using t-tests. Categorical variables were summarized as percents and compared using chi-square tests except for comparison with NHANES III data as noted below
~
Transfused group of alpha thalassemia were all Hb H/Constant spring
*
Calcium intake: dietary intake plus supplementation
**
Calcium / Vitamin D supplementation: percentage of subjects who took calcium and/or vitamin D supplements.
#
p-values from Multi-testing for BMI categories compared to NHANES III data for healthy adult and pediatric Americans (17). #1: Tx compared to NHANES III data, #2: NTx compared with NHANES III data
^^
Percentage of pediatric patients with BMI values below the 5th or above the 95th percentiles