ArticleScientific reports2026
Impact of iron chelation therapy on thyroid function in beta-thalassemia major patients from Pakistan.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (TDT) causes severe anemia requiring chronic transfusions, leading to iron overload and endocrine complications, including hypothyroidism. Iron chelation therapy (ICT) mitigates iron toxicity, but its effects on thyroid function remain understudied in resource-limited settings like Pakistan. This cross-sectional study compared 100 TDT patients receiving ICT (deferasirox, deferoxamine, or deferiprone) for ≥ 6 months with 100 Control group who have not taken ICT. Thyroid function tests (free T3, free T4, TSH), serum ferritin, and hepatic/renal biomarkers were analyzed. Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multivariate regression (SPSS v25). ICT-treated patients had significantly lower TSH (3.10 ± 0.62 vs. 9.95 ± 3.19 μIU/mL, p < 0.001) and higher free T3/T4 levels than controls (p < 0.001). Deferasirox users exhibited the lowest TSH (2.43 ± 0.06 μIU/mL) among chelators (p < 0.001). Ferritin strongly correlated with TSH (r = 0.94, p < 0.001) and independently predicted TSH levels (coefficient = 0.0010, p = 0.048). ICT also preserved hepatic (ALT: 50.55 ± 41.87 vs. 291.36 ± 161.99 U/L, p < 0.001) and renal function (creatinine: 0.97 ± 0.22 vs. 1.65 ± 0.34 mg/dL, p < 0.001). ICT, particularly deferasirox, protects against thyroid dysfunction in TDT, with ferritin as a key predictor. These findings support personalized chelation strategies and routine endocrine monitoring in thalassemia management.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.