Yersinia enterocolitica infection among thalassemic children

Abstract EN

The study was carried out at Basrah Maternity and Children Hospital from May to December 2000 as a case control study on 100 thalassemia and sickle thalassemia patients (with mean age of 10.1 ± 5.3 years), 100 healthy control group (with mean age of 8.9 ± 4.67 years).

They were studied for Yersinial infection, 5 patients (5 %) were found to have positive stool culture in comparison to only one (1 %) among the 100 children of the control group.

Thalassemia and sickle thalassemia patients with Yersinia infection have high serum level of iron and ferritin which is proportionate directly with the numbers of blood transfusion.

Most Yersinial cases were received regular deferrals therapy.

The study had revealed also that other infections due to Salmonella, Shigella, Giardia lamblia and Entamaeba histolytica were higher in thalassemia and sickle thalassemic group than in control group.