Pancreatic Volume in Thalassemia: Determinants and Association with Alterations of Glucose Metabolism

TL;DR

This study found that pancreatic volume is reduced in thalassemia patients, and it is linked to iron levels and glucose metabolism issues, especially in beta-thalassemia major.

Contribution

The study identifies pancreatic volume as a comparable predictor of glucose metabolism alterations to pancreatic iron in beta-thalassemia major.

Findings

Pancreatic volume was significantly lower in both β-TI and β-TM patients compared to healthy subjects.

Pancreatic iron was the main predictor of pancreatic volume in β-TM, while hepatic iron was in β-TI.

In β-TM, reduced pancreatic volume was associated with altered glucose metabolism.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the pancreatic volume between beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) and beta-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) patients and between thalassemia patients and healthy subjects and to determine the predictors of pancreatic volume and its association with glucose metabolism in β-TM and β-TI patients. Methods: We considered 145 β-TM patients and 19 β-TI patients enrolled in the E-MIOT project and 20 healthy subjects. The pancreatic volume and pancreatic and hepatic iron levels were quantified by magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The pancreatic volume indexed by body surface area (PVI) was significantly lower in both β-TI and β-TM patients compared to healthy subjects and in β-TM patients compared to β-TI patients. The only independent determinants of PVI were pancreatic iron in β-TM and hepatic iron in β-TI. In β-TM, there was an association between alterations of glucose metabolism and PVI, and PVI was a comparable predictor of altered glucose metabolism compared to pancreatic iron. Only one β-TI patient had an altered glucose metabolism and showed a reduced PVI and pancreatic iron overload. Conclusions: Thalassemia syndromes are characterized by a reduced pancreatic volume, associated with iron levels. In β-TM, the pancreatic volume and iron deposition are associated with the development and progression of alterations of glucose metabolism.

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