Level of serum melatonin and sialic acid in patients with beta-thalassemia versus normal individuals

Symptoms of thalassemia minor may begin to manifest as early as infancy or later in life. In addition to mild to severe anemia, patients with this disorder may also present with developmental delays and skeletal abnormalities. The main objective of the subsequent investigation was to assess and compare blood levels of melatonin and sialic acid in patients with Beta-thalassemia and healthy individuals. This case-control study compared the serum levels of healthy individuals with those of Beta-thalassemia patients. The total sample size of the study was 104. Out of these 52 individuals were grouped under the category of control group which had healthy individuals. The other group also consisted of 52 individuals who were diagnosed with Beta-thalassemia. These results indicated that there was a significant decrease in serum melatonin as in the controlled group it was 12.07 pg/ml and in the case group it was found as 7 pg/ml, p < 0.01. The value of Ceruloplasmin was also seen significantly different, as the level of Ceruloplasmin increased in the case group (34.13 mg/ml) as compared to the healthy individuals (51.08 mg/ml). Additionally, the other major findings were the fall of Hb in the case group which was 7 g/dL as compared to the control group where the means was 12.56 g/dL. In conclusion melatonin and sialic acid could be added to the list of measured parameters in patient with beta-thalassemia and might be served as a marker for diagnosis and prognosis.