SOMATOSENSORY EVOKED POTENTIAL IN CHILDREN WITH BETA THALASSEMIA

Abstract

Background and Aim: Aim was to study somatosensory evoked potential in thalassemia children and effect of iron overload on somatosensory evoked potential. Methods: 30 children with thalassemia on regular transfusions and iron chelation therapy and 30 healthy age and sex matched controls were subjected to somatosensory evoked potential. Statistical analysis used: means of quantitative variables were calculated in two groups and compared with student t- test. A p-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: On comparing the results between cases and controls, there was no significant difference in the latency of wave N9, N11 & P11 (p>0.05) and on comparing results of relation between serum ferritin level and somatosensory evoked potential in two groups of cases (group I with serum ferritin level <1000 ng/ml and group II with serum ferritin level >1000ng/ml), we found that serum ferritin level was associated significantly with greater latency in N9, N11 and P11 waves in group II of cases. No studies are available to support this data. This study was unique in the sense that there is relatively low awareness of this manifestation due to a very few studies in Indian population.