Minerva Pediatrics 2021 Apr 15

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5276.21.06193-4

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Reduced antioxidant capacity in children with iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia

Humeyra ASLANER ¹, Mehmet Akif DÜNDAR ² ✉, Alev ARSLAN ³, Çigdem KARAKÜKCÜ ⁴, Yasemin ALTUNER TORUN ⁵

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Medical Health University Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey; ² Department of Pediatrics, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey; ³ Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Başkent University Application and Research Center, Adana, Turkey; ⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Medical Health University Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey; ⁵ Division of Pediatric Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, İstinye University, İstanbul, Turkey

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship between antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSH-R), and paraoxonase (PON1) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and investigate susceptibility to atherosclerosis with decreasing antioxidant capacity in adolescent patients with iron deficiency (ID) and irondeficiency anemia (IDA).
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with IDA (14.9±1.8 years; 14 female and 11 male patients), 25 patients with ID (14.1±2.24 years; 13 female and 12 male patients) and 21 healthy controls (14.04±2.01 years; 11 female and 10 male individuals) were included in the study. Serum PON1, GSH-Px, GSH-R, and CIMT were measured in all cases. After 3-month oral iron therapy for the group with IDA, the same measurements were performed again.
RESULTS: CIMT was statistically significantly higher in patients with ID and IDA than in the control group (p<0.05). PON1, GSH-Px, and GSH-R activities decreased and were statistically significantly low in patients with IDA compared to the control group (p<0.05). Serum PON1 activity was statistically significantly lower in patients with ID than in the control group (p<0.05). Post-treatment PON1, GSH-Px, and GSH-R activities in patients with IDA got back to normal and were statistically significantly higher compared to pre-treatment values.
CONCLUSIONS: Antioxidant capacity decreases in patients with IDA and ID, which causes atherosclerotic changes. Therefore, patients with iron deficiency must be treated without the development of iron-deficiency anemia.

KEY WORDS: Antioxidant capacity; Iron deficiency; Iron-deficiency anemia; Carotid intimamedia thickness