Background. Coexistence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and beta thalassemia trait (BTT) has been the topic of few studies. However, no study from our country was found evaluating the effect of iron therapy in patients with concomitant IDA and BTT. Methods. Over a period of two years, 30 patients with concomitant IDA and BTT were included. All the patients had a complete blood count, serum iron studies, and thalassemia screening using BIORADTM hemoglobin testing system. The patients received oral iron therapy in appropriate dosages for a period of twenty weeks, after which all the investigations were repeated. Appropriate statistical methods were applied for comparison of pre- and posttherapy data. Results. All except two patients were adults with a marked female preponderance. Oral iron therapy led to statistically significant improvement in hemoglobin, red cell indices (P < 0.05), and marked change in serum iron, ferritin, and HbA2 levels (P < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in the total iron binding capacity levels. Conclusion. The present study shows the frequent occurrence of iron deficiency anemia in patients with beta thalassemia trait, which can potentially confound the diagnosis of the latter. Hence, iron deficiency should be identified and rectified in patients with suspicion of beta thalassemia trait.

Reticulocytes are immature, non-nucleated RBCs that still contain RNA. It provides useful information about the capacity of the bone marrow to synthesize and release red cells in response to anemia and helps to distinguish between decreased RBC production and enhanced peripheral destruction. A prospective study was done between thalassemia and iron deficiency anemia cases. The duration of the study was 1 year where 139 cases were included. In our study, a total of 139 patients are included out of which 94 cases were of Thalassemia and 45 cases of Iron deficiency anemia. Measurement of complete blood count (CBC) with reticulocyte fractions was done in the SYSMEX XN-550 system and for serum ferritin, Architect iSystem was used. This study demonstrates the cut-off value of IRF for detecting Thalassemia trait as 15.85-21.50%, IDA was &#62;21.50% and for Thalassemia major it was &#60; 15.85%. The LFR% optimum cut-off for detecting Thalassemia trait was estimated to be 83.1-84.2%, IDA &#60;83.1%and for Thalassemia major it was &#62; 84.2%. The MFR% optimum cut-off for detecting Thalassemia trait was estimated to be &#60;12.9%, IDA was &#62;13.25% and for Thalassemia major it was 12.9-13.25%. The HFR% optimum cut-off for detecting Thalassemia trait was estimated to be 2.4-5.3%, IDA was &#62;5.3%and for Thalassemia major it was &#60; 2.4%. The use of new hematological parameters and doing further comparative-based studies will help in differentiating various types of anemia and give knowledge of physiopathology of the underlying disease.

Objectives: Contemporary data on cardiovascular (CV) burden in women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is lacking, particularly in the Middle East and Africa where the incidence and prevalence of T2D is one of the highest globally. We report prevalence of ASCVD/ASCVD risk stratified by gender to identify opportunities for improving T2D care. Methods: PACT-MEA (PACT-MEA; NCT05317845) is a cross-sectional, observational study of adults (≥18 years) with T2D from 55 clinics in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates. Medical history, demographics, clinical information, and laboratory values were collected from medical charts of patients at a clinic visit in 2022. We report the prevalence (95% CI) of established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (eASCVD) and ASCVD risk, the latter defined by the 2021 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on CV Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice (risk categories: moderate, high, very high [including eASCVD]). Prevalence estimates were weighted according to the size of the diabetes population in each country. Results: Of the 3,726 patients enrolled, 47% were female, with a median age of 59.0; 35% were &lt;55 years old. Across the seven PACT-MEA countries, prevalence of eASCVD was 16.0% (95% CI: 13.4-18.6) among females and 26.6% (23.7-29.5) among males. Per ESC guidelines, 0.6% (0.0-1.2) of females were at moderate risk for ASCVD, 72.5% (69.0-75.9) were at high risk, and 26.9% (23.5-30.3) were at very high risk. Among males, 0.7% (0.0-1.5), 65.9% (62.4-69.4), and 33.4% (29.9-36.8) were at moderate, high, and very high ASCVD risk, respectively. Conclusions: We found 1 in 6 women with T2D in the Middle East and Africa have eASCVD and nearly all are at high/very high ASCVD risk. This highlights the need for better screening and timely management of T2D in women and men to minimize CV risk, as well as the importance of gender inclusiveness in clinical studies. Disclosure F. Alawadi: Research Support; Novo Nordisk. E. Mashaki ceyhan: None. H. M. Sabbour: Research Support; Novo Nordisk. S. Salek: None. G. Yadav: Employee; Novo Nordisk. S. Verma: Advisory Panel; Amgen Canada, AstraZeneca, Bayer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance, HLS Therapeutics Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis Canada, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Consultant; AstraZeneca, Other Relationship; Amarin Corporation, AstraZeneca, Bayer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group, EOCI Pharmacomm, HLS Therapeutics Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis Canada, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Pfizer Inc., PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., S & L Solutions Event Management Inc, Sanofi, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Toronto Knowledge Translation Working Group, Research Support; Amarin Corporation, Amgen Canada, AstraZeneca, Bayer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, HLS Therapeutics Inc., Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. S. H. Assaad-khalil: Board Member; AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., Servier Laboratories, Sanofi, Consultant; AstraZeneca, Servier Laboratories, Sanofi, Merck & Co., Inc., Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Eva Pharma. W. Almahmeed: None. N. Alamuddin: Consultant; Novo Nordisk, Speaker's Bureau; Novo Nordisk. H. Alkandari: None. J. A. Haddad: None. L. N. Husemoen: Employee; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. L. Lombard: None. R. A. Malik: None.

Background: Aplastic anemia (AA) is an uncommon condition characterized by pancytopenia and hypocellular bone marrow. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 have been shown to inhibit myelopoiesis and are major mediators of tissue damage. The primary goal of this study was to determine the IL-6 and IL-8 levels in children with AA, as well as their relationship to illness severity and immunosuppressive medication response. Materials and Methods: The IL-6 and IL-8 levels were tested in 50 children aged 3–18 years who had AA. As controls, 50 healthy age and sex matched individuals were used. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (solid-phase) was used to measure IL-6 and IL-8 levels quantitatively. The concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 in pg/mL were used to represent the results. Immunosuppressive medication was given to the patients in accordance with the British Committee for Standards in Haematology Guidelines 2009. Results: The patients’ average age was 11.3 ± 3.7 years. Patients with AA had significantly higher IL-6 and IL-8 levels than controls (278.88 ± 216.03 vs. 4.51 ± 3.26; P < 0.001) and (120.28 ± 94.98 vs. 1.79 ± 0.78; P < 0.001), respectively. The IL-6 and IL-8 levels were also investigated with respect to AA severity, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) between different grading strata. Patients with very severe AA (VSAA) had the highest IL-6 levels (499.52 ± 66.19), followed by severe AA (SAA) (201.28 ± 157.77) and non-SAA (NSAA) (22.62 ± 14.63). For IL-8 levels, a similar trend (P < 0.01) was detected, with values of 209.81 ± 38.85, 92.12 ± 78.0, and 9.29 ± 10.68 for VSAA, SAA, and NSAA, respectively. After 6 months of immunosuppressive treatment (IST), mean levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in responders and nonresponders were again assessed. The mean IL-6 level in the responders’ group (46.50 ± 45.41) was significantly lower, when compared to the nonresponders’ group (145.76 ± 116.32) (P < 0.001). Similarly, the mean IL-8 level in the responder’s group (33.57 ± 27.14) was significantly lower, compared to the nonresponder’s group (97.49 ± 69.00) (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Children with AA had higher IL-6 and IL-8 levels than normal age- and sex-matched controls. Increased levels were linked to the severity of the condition, suggesting that IL may have a role in AA. IL levels can be monitored in AA patients during IST, which can assist in predicting response to IST.