Logo Medical Science Monitor

Call: +1.631.470.9640
Mon - Fri 10:00 am - 02:00 pm EST

Contact Us

Logo Medical Science Monitor Logo Medical Science Monitor Logo Medical Science Monitor

11 December 2016 : Clinical Research  

Could Heterozygous Beta Thalassemia Provide Protection Against Multiple Sclerosis?

Mehmet Ali Cikrikcioglu1ADE*, Muhammed Emin Ozcan2BDE, Gulistan Halac3ABD, Ilhami Gultepe1BDF, Kenan Celik1BCF, Yahya Sekin4B, Elif Ece Eser1BF, Sebnem Burhan1B, Guven Cetin5DE, Omer Uysal6C

DOI: 10.12659/MSM.898192

Med Sci Monit 2016; 22:4854-4858

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heterozygous beta thalassemia (HBT) has been proposed to increase the risk of developing autoimmune disease. Our aim in this study was to examine the prevalence of HBT among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: HBT frequency was investigated in our MS group (243 patients with MS). Hemoglobin electrophoresis (HE) was carried out if MS patients had a mean corpuscular volume of (MCV) <80 fL and a mean corpuscular hemoglobin level of (MCH) <27 pg/L according to a complete blood count (CBC). If MCV was lower than 80 fL, MCH was lower than 27 pg/L, and Hemoglobin A2 equal to or higher than 3.5%, a diagnosis of HBT was established. The frequency of patients with HBT in our MS patient group was statistically compared with the prevalence of HBT in the city of Istanbul, where our MS patients lived.

RESULTS: The HBT prevalence was 0.823% (2 patients) in the MS patient group. The prevalence of HBT in Istanbul has been reported to be 4.5%. According to the z-test, the HBT prevalence in our MS patient group was significantly lower than that in Istanbul (Z=6.3611, two-sided p value <0.0001, 95% confidence interval of prevalence of HBT in our MS patient group: 0.000998–0.029413).

CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our hypothesis at the outset of study, the reduced HBT prevalence in the MS group compared to HBT frequency in the city of Istanbul might indicate that HBT is protective against MS.

Keywords: Adolescent, Cross-Sectional Studies, Erythrocyte Indices, Heterozygote, Multiple Sclerosis - immunology, Prevalence, Turkey - epidemiology, beta-Thalassemia - immunology

Add Comment 0 Comments

Editorial

01 February 2025 : Editorial  

Editorial: Current Approaches to Screening for Lung Cancer in Smokers and Non-Smokers

Dinah V. Parums

DOI: 10.12659/MSM.948255

Med Sci Monit 2025; 31:e948255

0:00

In Press

Clinical Research  

Surgical Efficacy in Varicocele Ligation with Ephedrine-Assisted Blood Pressure Control

Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.946234  

Clinical Research  

Retrospective Study to Compare Injury Patterns and Associations in 170 Patients Following Electric Scooter ...

Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.947155  

Review article  

Hydrogels in Oral Disease Management: A Review of Innovations in Drug Delivery and Tissue Regeneration

Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.946122  

Clinical Research  

Procedure Dynamics in Transfemoral vs Transradial Cerebral Angiography: A Retrospective Study

Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.947603  

Most Viewed Current Articles

17 Jan 2024 : Review article   6,968,724

Vaccination Guidelines for Pregnant Women: Addressing COVID-19 and the Omicron Variant

DOI :10.12659/MSM.942799

Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e942799

0:00

16 May 2023 : Clinical Research   701,829

Electrophysiological Testing for an Auditory Processing Disorder and Reading Performance in 54 School Stude...

DOI :10.12659/MSM.940387

Med Sci Monit 2023; 29:e940387

0:00

01 Mar 2024 : Editorial   25,567

Editorial: First Regulatory Approvals for CRISPR-Cas9 Therapeutic Gene Editing for Sickle Cell Disease and ...

DOI :10.12659/MSM.944204

Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e944204

0:00

28 Jan 2024 : Review article   20,099

A Review of IgA Vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein Purpura) Past, Present, and Future

DOI :10.12659/MSM.943912

Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e943912

0:00

Your Privacy

We use cookies to ensure the functionality of our website, to personalize content and advertising, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. If you allow us to do so, we also inform our social media, advertising and analysis partners about your use of our website, You can decise for yourself which categories you you want to deny or allow. Please note that based on your settings not all functionalities of the site are available. View our privacy policy.

Medical Science Monitor eISSN: 1643-3750
Medical Science Monitor eISSN: 1643-3750