Children with hemoglobin E/-thalassemia have a high risk of being vitamin D deficient even if they get abundant sun exposure: A study from thailand

摘要

Background Vitamin D is a key component in calcium homeostasis, bone mineralization and immune function, and people with a vitamin D deficiency may therefore be at higher risk of osteoporosis, osteopenia, delayed growth and fractures. Vitamin D deficiency is a known clinical complication of patients with -thalassemia major; however, as yet there are limited data on the vitamin D status of patients with Hb E/-thalassemia. Hb E/-thalassemia is characterized by a wide clinical heterogeneity ranging from non-transfusion dependency to transfusion dependency. Because patients with Hb E/-thalassemia are so clinically diverse, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency might differ among Hb E/-thalassemia patients.