@article{Matin_Ghanei Jahromi_Karemizadeh_Haghpanah_De Sanctis_Soliman_Karimi_2014, title={THE FREQUENCY OF ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY IN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH THALASSEMIA MAJOR VERSUS THALASSEMIA INTERMEDIA IN IRAN}, volume={7}, url={https://www.mjhid.org/mjhid/article/view/2015.005}, DOI={10.4084/mjhid.2015.005}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Background: </strong>Endocrine dysfunction is not uncommon complication in patients with transfusion dependent thalassemia and is thought to occur as a consequence of excessive iron overload. The main objective of this study is to determine the frequency of adrenal insufficiency in patients with thalassemia major and thalassemia intermediate. <strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was done at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Southern Iran, in 2013. One hundred and ninety patients were divided into two groups; thalassemia major(TM) and thalassemia intermediate (TI) groups. We measured 8 AM serum cortisol, ACTH and ferritin concentrations in all patients. <strong>Results: </strong> The mean age of the TM and TI group were 22.5±5.7 and 23.8±6 years, respectively. 90 patients (47.4%) were splenectomized,  34 (36.2%) with TM and  56 (58.2%) with TI (p : 0.001). The mean serum ferritin levels were 3056.5±2306 and 666.2±616.5 in TM and TI respectively (p: 0.001).  Three patients with TM (1.6%) had low basal cortisol and ACTH levels. However their cortisol response to ACTH stimulation was normal. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>Low basal concentrations of cortisol and ACTH occurred in 1.6% of our adolescents young adult patients with TM suggesting a central defect of cortisol secretion at the basal state. However, cortisol response to standard – dose ACTH was normal in all patients with TM and TI.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases}, author={Matin, Sara and Ghanei Jahromi, Masoud and Karemizadeh, Zohreh and Haghpanah, Sezaneh and De Sanctis, Vincenzo and Soliman, Ashraf and Karimi, Mehran}, year={2014}, month={Aug.}, pages={e2015005} }