[Peculiarities of iron metabolism in patients with Beta - thalassemia at different periods after splenectomy].

Often thalassaemia patients have significant iron stores. The present research has been conducted to estimate a level of the overall store and degree of an iron overload in patients suffering from beta-thalassemia in pre- and post-surgery periods (pre-surgery, and to the second, seventh, fifteenth, and thirtieth days) after splenectomy. Observation was conducted once a year. The observation period was eight years. The analysis of parameters of iron metabolism in patients with beta-thalassemia in the distant period of time after splenectomy showed that the decrease of serum iron level and index of transferrin saturation was unchanged during the first year. The index of serum ferittin was unchanged during two years. SFT value remained reduced within a year; two years after splenectomy this parameter reached a preoperative level. The index of total serum coupling capacity remaind unchanged during the whole period of observation. The research revealed, that splenectomy has a positive effect on iron balance.