Assessment of the Correlation Between Renal Function Markers and Serum Ferritin Levels in Thalassemia Patients

Background: This study aimed to analyze renal function markers and correlate the results with serum ferritin levels in patients with thalassemia in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2020.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and patients with a proven hemoglobinopathy diagnosis were included. Fasting blood was obtained to measure creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, uric acid, and ferritin. In addition, a 24-h urine specimen was collected to determine the level of urine albumin, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, uric acid, and beta 2-microglobulin. Fractional excretion of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and uric acid was also calculated. Spearman's coefficient of correlation was used to determine the correlations between serum ferritin level and other variables.Results: Of the sixty-six patients studied, 3.0% had sickle cell thalassemia, 80.3% had major thalassemia, and 72.7% had intermediate thalassemia. In our study, serum ferritin, 24-h urine protein, and fractional excretion of sodium, calcium, and urine were higher than the normal range in thalassemia patients. There was a significant correlation between serum ferritin level and fractional excretion of magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and uric acid with a negative correlation coefficient (p <= 0.05). We also found that the serum ferritin levels strongly correlated with microalbuminuria (p <= 0.05).