الفهرس 
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Abstract
Beta thalassemia is hereditary blood disorder associated with a defect in beta globin gene with excess of free alpha globin chains which become abnormal components in maturing red blood cells (RBCs) leading to destruction of RBCs by the spleen with subsequent anemia.
Patients with β-thalassemia major are presented with many problems. In addition to their severe anemia, an increased susceptibility to infections which is the second commonest reason for death within thalassemic patients.
Immunologic disorders in the patients with beta-thalassaemia major including non-specific immune response, lymphocyte subsets and changes in cytokines production have already been reported.
βTM-related immunologic changes were different according to therapeutic procedures used and in a population dependence manner .The aim of this work is to study T lymphocyte subsets CD3, CD4 and CD8 in children suffering from β-thalassemia major receiving different treatment modalities.
Lymphocytes are crucial in cell mediated immunity. Lymphocyte subsets include Helper T cells (CD4 T-cells), Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs or CD8 T-cells), Memory T cells and Regulatory T cells (Treg cells). CD4 T cells become activated upon foreign antigens exposure and secrete cytokines while the CD8 T-cells destroy virally infected cells. CD4+ cells along with CD8+ cells represent the majority of T lymphocytes .We measured the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes beside CD3+ T lymphocytes as representative of the total T Lymphocytes.
Forty eight children were included in this study which involved a group of 36 thalassemic patients and 12 healthy age and sex matched control group, the thalassemic patients group was further subdivided into three subgroups according to different treatment:
group I: patients received packed red blood cell transfusion only.
group II: patients received packed red blood cell transfusion and iron chelation.
group III: patients received packed red blood cell transfusion, iron chelation and splenectomized
All patients were subjected to full medical history taking, detailed clinical examination, and laboratory investigations including complete blood count, Serum Ferritin, CD3, CD4 and CD8.
Results displayed that;
βTM patients showed significant increase in serum ferritin more than in age & sex matched control group with (p=0.013).
Patients of group I had significantly elevated CD4+ and CD8+ percentages, when compared to controls, group II and group III and decreased CD4/CD8 ratio when compared to controls and group II.