Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34276909›Full record

ArticleMediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases2021

A Retrospective Long-Term Study on Age at Menarche and Menstrual Characteristics in 85 Young Women with Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia (TDT).

Salvatore Di Maio, Pierluigi Marzuillo, Demetris Mariannis, Soteroula Christou, Andreas Ellinides, Costantinos Christodoulides, Vincenzo de Sanctis

Open access · goldAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Mediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Salvatore Di MaioEmeritus Director in Pediatrics, Santobono-Pausilipon Children's Hospital, Naples, Italy.
Pierluigi MarzuilloDepartment of Woman, Child, General and Specialized Surgery, University "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples. Italy.
Demetris MariannisRoyal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster, Lancashire, United Kingdom.
Soteroula ChristouThalassemia Unit, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Andreas EllinidesMedical Student, European University Cyprus, School of Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Costantinos ChristodoulidesPediatric Registrar, Archbishop Makarios III Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Vincenzo de SanctisPediatric and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic, Quisisana Hospital, Ferrara, Italy.
Santobono Children's Hospital · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMenarche is an important milestone in a feminine reproductive life, and regular menstrual cycles reflect normal functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, a vital sign of women's general health. AIM OF THE STUDY: We explored the age at menarche and the following menstrual cycles characteristics among 85 unmarried Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia (TDT) women, born between 1965 and 1995, concerning iron chelation therapy (ICT) with desferrioxamine (DFO) and nutritional status, assessed by body mass index (BMI).

results53 adolescents who had begun ICT before the age of 10 years experienced menarche at 13,7 ± 1,6 years (mean ± DS), whereas 32 who began treatment after ten years experienced menarche significantly later (15.5 ± 1.9 yrs; p: 0.001). At the age of menarche: BMI-Z score (n= 67, -0,09 ±1) was inversely correlated with both age at starting ICT (r = -0,39; p = 0001) and age at menarche (-0,45, p = 0,0001). Serum ferritin levels (SF) were significantly correlated with the age at starting chelation therapy (n = 79; r = 0,34; p = 0,022). In 56 TDT adolescents who developed secondary amenorrhea (SA), the SF levels were significantly higher (4,098 ± 1,907 ng/mL) compared to 23 TDT adolescents with regular menstrual cycles (2,913±782 ng/mL; p = 0,005). Nutritional status of "thinness" at menarche was associated with a lower prevalence of subsequent regular menstrual cycles and a higher prevalence of early SA.

conclusionAn early ICT in TDT patients was associated with a normal "tempo" of pubertal onset and a higher frequency of subsequent regular menstrual cycles. In TDT patients, who developed SA, a diagnosis of acquired central hypogonadism was made, mainly due to the chronic exposure to iron overload, however other potential causes linked to nutritional status, deficient levels of circulating nutrients, and the chronic disease itself cannot be fully excluded.

Indexed as

Iron overloadMenarcheMenstrual cyclesNutritional statusSecondary amenorrheaTransfusion-dependent β-thalassemia

Identifiers

PMID34276909
PMCPMC8265331
OpenAlexW3176207547

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.