PREVALENCE OF CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR THALASSEMIA IN IRANIAN PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Introduction: Thalassemia major is one of the most common blood diseases in Iran. Cardiac complications are one of the leading causes of death in these patients. The aim of this study was evaluated the Prevalence of Cardiac complications in patients with major thalassemia in Iranian patients. Methods: The methods used in this systematic review were based on the Checklist (PRISMA) Guidelines. The searches were conducted by two independent researchers and the aim was to find the relevant studies published from 1/1/2000 to 30/5/2019. Results: A total of 2516 patients and a total of 7 studies from 7 provinces that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. Of the studies were retrospective. According to the random effect model, the total Prevalence of Cardiac complications in 2516 patients was 11% (10%-12% at a 95% confidence interval, I2 = 93.7%). Conclusion: Early diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction is essential. Since the most important cause of death for patients with thalassemia major is cardiac involvement, regular control of the heart conditions of patients is essential. Also, clinical examinations, electrocardiography, and chest x-ray in the early stages of cardiac involvement of these patients are normal and the most common abnormal finding of patients is left ventricular diastolic failure that can be evaluated via thoracic transthoracic echocardiography. In recent studies, however, ECG and its variations have been of great importance. Therefore, it is recommended that the ECG be monitored regularly for ST-T changes or arrhythmias. Key words: Major thalassemia , complication, Diastolic dysfunction , Echocardiography