Abstract:

Objective To study the similarities and differences in iron supplementation effect betweenpregnant women with beta thalassemia minor combined with iron deficiency anemia（IDA）and those with simpleIDA，and explore monitoring methods for iron supplementation. Methods A total of 214 pregnant women visitingfor regular pregnancy check⁃ups were enrolled in the study，including 52 cases of beta thalassemia minor combinedwith IDA，53 cases of simple beta thalassemia minor，50 cases of simple IDA，and 59 cases of healthy pregnantwomen. Those in the beta thalassemia minor combined with IDA group and the simple IDA group were managedwith oral iron supplementation for 4 weeks. The blood parameters and iron metabolism parameters of each pregnantwoman were examined and compared across the groups. Results （1）The sTfR content in the beta thalassemiaminor combined with IDA group was significantly higher than that in the simple beta thalassemia minor and thesimple IDA groups（P < 0.05）.（2）After iron supplementation，the levels of Hb，MCV and all iron metabolismparameters were significantly improved in the groups of the beta thalassemia minor combined with IDA and the simpleIDA（P < 0.05）.（3）After iron supplementation，the increase of ferritin in the beta thalassemia minor combinedwith IDA group was significantly greater than that in the simple IDA group（P < 0.05）. Conclusion Iron supple⁃mentation for pregnant women with mild thalassemia is effective，with a lower risk of iron overload. The ferritin andsTfR detections are helpful for accurate understanding of the iron status and timely screening of iron deficiency inthose pregnant women. It is meaningful for the clinical guidance for iron supplementation.

Key words: beta thalassemia minor, iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy, iron supplementation ther?apy, iron metabolism parameters