Relationship between Iron deposition and T lymphocytes in children with β-thalassemia with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Backgroundβ-Thalassemia cellular immunity is associated with iron overload. However, the relationship between varying degrees of iron deposition and T cell immune recovery after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT) in children remain unclear.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 84 children with β-Thalassemia undergoing sibling allo-HSCT. According to the degrees of hepatic iron deposition, patients were divided into four classes. T lymphocyte counts were measured. Hepatic iron deposition was assessed by T2* MRI. Epstein–Barr virus and cytomegalovirus infection rates and graft-vs.-host disease incidence were recorded.ResultsImmune recovery after allo-HSCT was compared between the two groups. Normal vs. mild group: CD4 cells were higher at 1, 3, and 6 months (P