Assessment of some biochemical and bone turnover marker differences and their correlations with bone densitometry score in teenaged patients with β-thalassemia major in Basrah

Objectives: Bone turnover markers (BTMs) and bone densitometry scores are helpful in examining paediatric skeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the differences between (vitamin D3, parathyroid hormone [PTH], serum ferritin, and BTMs) and their biostatistical correlations with bone densitometry score in teenaged β-thalassemia major (βTM) patients in Basrah. Materials and Methods: A case–control study was conducted in 2023, on ninety teenaged paediatric subjects of both sexes, aged from 12 to 15 years, 45 of them with βTM (cases), collected from the hereditary blood diseases centre in Basrah and 45 of an apparently healthy (control). Biochemical investigations as well as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan examination were done for evaluation of bone mineral density and to study the correlation of these variables with Z-score of bone density results. The statistical analysis for the variables was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 29. Results: Patients exhibit considerably lower body mass index, vitamin D3, and Z-scores and significantly elevated serum ferritin, PTH and BTMs. For the correlation of these biochemical markers with Z-score of bone density, there is a non-significant negative correlation of vitamin D3, serum ferritin, PTH and osteocalcin in cases and serum ferritin, PTH and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase in control. In addition, the majority of the cases had osteopenia (51.1%), while osteoporosis was present in 26.6% of them. Conclusion: We can conclude that βTM patients have an imbalanced bone turnover and inadequate bone mineral density.