Thyroid Function in Thalassemia major

Hypothyroidism is one of the most frequent endocrinological complications in thalassemic patients [1]. Lack or delay of puberty [2-4], hypoparathyroidism [5], and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [6] are concomitant endocrine abnormalities in such patients. It is reported in the literature that these complications are due to iron over load at the hypothalamic and/or pituitary level and/or at the glandular level [7-9]. Nevertheless, the cause of hypothyroidism in thalassemic patients is unclear still in fact, the results presented in the literature show a broad spectrum of possible alterations [6, 9].