EVALUATION OF SERUM FERRITIN, C-REACTIVE PROTEINS, AND LIVER FUNCTION IN THALASSEMIA PATIENTS RECEIVING BLOOD TRANSFUSION IN AJK

Abstract

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder caused by a defect in one or both chains of hemoglobin. It reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin, causing oxygen deficiency that may affect vital body organs. Blood transfusion remains the only accessible, affordable, and reliable treatment for thalassemia patients. However, the frequent transfusion of blood makes the patient vulnerable to certain complications. The primary complication is iron overload, which may lead to secondary complications. In our study, the complications of blood transfusions in thalassemia patients were studied in public sector hospitals of AJK. The parameters of the study are lab reports of serum ferritin, CBC, LFT, RFT, and CRP. Data is presented in the form of graphs and tables using Ms Excel and google docs. Various blood transfusion-related complications were found in our study. The major complications were iron overload, which was attributed to the 92.85% abnormal serum ferritin level. 80% of the patients were anemic due to low hemoglobin levels. 51.28% of patients were at risk of developing jaundice and anemia due to high levels of bilirubin. 72.09% of patients had high ALT levels, leading to the risk of liver failure, and enzymatic and metabolic disturbance. 72.72% of patients had increased CRP levels which indicates inflammation in the major organs such as the heart, liver, and kidney. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively evaluate all of the available evidence-based literature