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Zinc in thalassemic patients and its relation with depression
- Source :
- Biological trace element research. 123(1-3)
- Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Studies have shown that there is a relationship between zinc levels and depression. Thalassemic patients are at risk of zinc deficiency due to various causes including Desferal injection. The aim of this study, therefore, is to investigate hair zinc levels in thalassemic patients and their association with depression. For the purposes of this survey, 50 patients with major thalassemia between 10-20 years old were selected randomly. The patients' hair zinc concentration was compared with a control group of similarly aged healthy individuals. Simultaneously, their psychological status was evaluated with either the "Beck" or "Marya Kovacs" test (according to age) so that the relation between depression and zinc concentration could be assessed. The mean hair zinc concentration in patients was more than the controls (193.96 +/- 92.4 ppm vs 149.6 +/- 72.21 ppm). Zinc deficiency was present in 10% of the patients, and 52% had some degree of depression. There was a reverse correlation between zinc deficiency and blood transfusion rate (p0.05). Also, while there were more incidences of depression among the zinc deficient patients, the difference was not significant. Regarding the high prevalence of depression and insignificant relation to the zinc deficiency in these thalassemic patients, this research suggests the need for further consideration concerning patients' psychological status, the risk factors of zinc deficiency, as well as extended assessment into other causes of depression.
- Subjects :
- Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Blood transfusion
Adolescent
Cross-sectional study
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Thalassemia
medicine.medical_treatment
Clinical Biochemistry
chemistry.chemical_element
Zinc
Biochemistry
Gastroenterology
Inorganic Chemistry
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Child
Depression (differential diagnoses)
High prevalence
business.industry
Depression
Biochemistry (medical)
beta-Thalassemia
Case-control study
General Medicine
medicine.disease
Endocrinology
Cross-Sectional Studies
chemistry
Case-Control Studies
Zinc deficiency
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01634984
- Volume :
- 123
- Issue :
- 1-3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Biological trace element research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4e83bff9f899c70a903f6cf11242736d