STUDY COMPARING ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS BETWEEN TRANSFUSION DEPENDANT AND TRANSFUSION NON-DEPENDANT THALASSEMIA CHILDREN AT PENANG HOSPITAL

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Date
2001
Authors
VYJAYANTI, KASINATHAN
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Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Several studies have been conducted on the various problems in thalassemic children in Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional prospective study of 45 thalassemic children at Penang Hospital from September 1999 till August 2002. The first objective of this study was to assess whether there were any differences in anthropometric measurements between transfusion dependant (group 1) and transfusion non-dependant thalassemia children (group 2). The second objective was to identify if there were any correlations between height velocity with respect to serum ferritin levels, pre and post transfusion hemoglobin levels and chelation in group 1 children. Anthropometric measurements which include height, weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps and biceps skin fold thickness were measured in both groups. These anthropometric measurements were then compared between the 2 groups. Height velocity and weight velocity was measured in group 1 and group 2 children. The height and weight percentiles were plotted for both groups. The anthropometric measurements for group 1 and group 2 were not significantly different. There was growth retardation in both groups of children with thalassemia above 12 years of age. Serum ferritin levels, chelation, pre and post transfusion hemoglobin levels showed a poor correlation to height velocity in group 1 children. It was concluded that children in group 1 and group 2 have short stature at a later age with poor correlation of height velocity to serum ferritin levels, chelation, pre and post-transfusion hemoglobin levels in group 1 children.
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Pediatrics
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