Serum Levels of Ischemia Modified Albumin in Children with Β-Thalassemia Major

Background and aim: Thalassemia is a prevalent genetic disorder in Egypt. The objective of this study was to assess the serum ischemia modified albumin (IMA) level in children diagnosed with β-thalassemia major. Methods: this case-control study included 60 children with thalassemia major which was diagnosed by hemoglobin electrophoresis and on regular blood transfusion, and 30 healthy children as a control group. Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA) evaluation using an ELISA kit was one of many laboratory investigations conducted on each child after a comprehensive history taking and physical examination. Result: The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in IMA between the groups studied. Specifically, it was higher in the Beta Thalassemia patient group compared to the control group, and it was even higher in thalassemic patients who had undergone splenectomy. IMA was positively correlated with Mean corpuscular hemoglobin, Hematocit, and Ferritin, and negatively correlated with Hb. When multivariate logistic regression was used to predict a significant increase in Ischemia Modified Albumin, Ferritin and splenectomy were both found to be statistically significant factors. Conclusion: Follow-up evaluations of thalassemic patients may benefit from the use of ischemia modified albumin (IMA) as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of consequences.