Auditory evaluation of patients with major beta thalassemia under treatment with desferrioxamine

Beta thalassemia major (BTM) is the most common genetic anemia and requires frequent blood transfusions to treat chronic hemolyzation. Desferrioxamine (DFO) is used for BTM patients to decrease the iron in the blood. One side effect of DFO is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). This research determined the amount of hearing loss in BTM patients. This was an analytic-descriptive study where all patients (73) surveyed had been referred to the Thalassemia Center of Yazd province. The patients were evaluated for audiometry (HL = hearing threshold ≥ 20 dBHL) and tympanometry in Shaheed Sadoughi Hospital in the city of Yazd. The variables tested were age, sex, dosage and length of treatment. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS software. In this survey, of the 73 cases (146 ears), 63.01% (46 people) had hearing loss (86.95% SNHL). The results of the tympanometry test showed that 91.8% ears had type AN. There was a statistically significant difference between hearing loss (HL) and dosage of DFO at frequencies of 2000 Hz in the left ear (p = 0.02) and a significant difference between HL and length of treatment at frequencies of 250 Hz in the right ear (p = 0.049). At high frequencies (8000 Hz), there was a significant difference for HL in both ears. There was statistically significant difference between sexes (more males than females showed HL). In this study, the findings are indicative of DFO contribution to the development of hearing impairment in BTM patients. Regular audiologic evaluation is imperative for all thalassemia patients so that early changes may be recognized. The results of this study suggest that the length of treatment and dosage of DFO should be monitored to prevent HL.