Table 1:

MECHANISMS OF IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION IN THALASSEMIA. The most important immune dysfunctions reported in thalassemia are shown. Those studies focusing on a specific pathogenic link between the immune alteration and iron overload (IOL) or allogenic blood transfusions (ABTs) are indicated. The data are predominantly clinical.

IMMUNE ABNORMALITY	PATHOGENESIS	REFERENCES
IMPAIRED MONOCYTE/MACROPHAGE ACTIVITY AGAINST PATHOGENS		Sternbach12 1987
	IOL	Ampel13 1989* Pittis14 1994
	ABTs	Sternbach12 1987
IMPAIRED NEUTROPHIL FUNCTION		Matzner15 1993
	IOL	Bassaris16 1982 Van Ashbeck17 1984 Van Ashbeck18 1984 Skoutelis19 1984; Cantineaux20 1987
	ABTs	Grady21 1985 Sternbach121987
DECREASED NK ACTIVITY		Dwyer22 1987 Sen23 1989 Ezer24 2002
	IOL	Akbar25 1986
	IO ABTs	A Akbar25 1986
REDUCED ACTIVITY OF COMPLEMENT SYSTEM		Sihnlah26 1981
CYTOKINE DYSFUNCTION		Wanachiwanawin 271999 Ozinsky28 2000 Ozturk29 2001
	ABTs	Lombardi30 1994
T LYMPHOCYTE DYSFUNCTION REDUCED CD4 ELEVATED CD8 REDUCED CD4/CD8		Umiel 311984; Dwyer 221987 Khalifa32 1988; Sen23 1989 Dua33 1993; Ezer24 2002,
	TaABT	Kaplan 341984; Grady35 1985 Pardalos36 1987; Hodge37 1999
B LYMPHOCYTE DYSFUNCTION		Umiel31 1984; Dwyer22 1987 Sen23 1989; Speer37 1990 Dua33 1993;
	ABTs	H Hodge36 1999
ELEVATED Ig PRODUCTION	ABTs	Akbar38 1985 Dwyer22 1987

^*marks experimental or in vitro studies.