Exploring alterations of gut/blood microbes in addressing iron overload-induced gut dysbiosis and cognitive impairment in thalassemia patients.

ABSTRACT: Iron overload causes cognitive impairment in thalassemia patients. The gut-brain axis plays an important role in cognitive function. However, the association between gut/blood microbiome, cognition, and iron burden in thalassemia patients has not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to determine those associations in thalassemia patients with different blood-transfusion regimens. Sixty participants: healthy controls, transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) patients, and non-transfusion-dependent (NTDT) patients, were recruited to evaluate iron overload, cognition, and gut/blood microbiome. TDT patients exhibited greater iron overload than NTDT patients. Most thalassemia patients developed gut dysbiosis, and approximately 25% of the patients developed minor cognitive impairment. Increased

SUBMITTER: Suparan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11496663 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature