IS HETEROZYGOUS BETA-THALASSEMIA A PROTECTIVE FACTOR FOR PERIPHERAL ARTERIOPATHIC DISEASE - A PRELIMINARY ULTRASONOGRAPHIC STUDY

To determine whether heterozygous beta-thalassemia (HBT) is a protective factor for peripheral arteriopathic disease, 407 subjects (185 men, 222 women) seen at our institute between July and December 1991 were evaluated by means of continuous-wave Doppler sonography. Of the total sample, 66 subjects were HBT (22 men, 44 women; mean age, 64 +/- 8 years) and 341 subjects (163 men, 178 women; mean age, 62 +/- 8 years) were ''normal'' (NHBT). Atheromatous lesions were demonstrated in 117 subjects, 111 of whom were NHBT (61 men, 50 women) and only 6 of whom were HBT (1 man, 5 women); the prevalence of lesions in the HBT subjects was significantly lower than that expected (chi-square 13.7; P < 0.0001). The analysis by sex confirmed a similar lower HBT prevalence among men (1 vs 60; P < 0.005) and women (5 vs 45; P < 0.013). Moreover, a significant negative correlation between peripheral arteriopathic disease and HBT was shown (r = -.412; P < 0.001). This preliminary study suggests that HBT could be a protective factor for peripheral arteriopathic disease, a finding that agrees with previous evidence about acute myocardial infarction.