Comparison of Immunoglobulins Status In Splenectomized And Non-Splenectomized Patients With Major Beta-Thalassemia

Background: Thalassemia is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders globally, and infections are one of the major causes of death in these patients. Various studies have attributed the increased susceptibility to bacterial infections in thalassemia patients to changes in their immunological status. Objectives: This research aimed to measure serum levels of immunoglobulins (Igs) in Thalassemia Major (TM) patients and in the control group. Methods: The study included forty TM patients (20 splenectomized and 20 non-splenectomized) and 20 healthy participants (the control group). Three groups were matched for age and gender. Mean serum levels of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) were measured for all individuals by ELISA. P<0.05 was considered the significance level. Results: Increased serum IgG and IgA levels and significantly reduced serum IgM levels were observed in the splenectomized patients compared to the non-splenectomized ones. A comparison of the study groups revealed that serum IgG and IgA levels in the splenectomized patients and the mean serum IgM and IgG levels in the non-splenectomized patients were higher than those of the healthy participants. The mean serum IgM levels in the splenectomized patients and the mean serum IgG levels in the non-splenectomized patients were lower than those of the control group. Conclusions: The results showed that splenectomy could change the immunological status of thalassemia patients. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism for this change was not clear. Studying the serum levels of immunoglobulins might be useful in determining the severity of infections in TM patients.