@Article{, title={EVALUATION OF INTERLEUKINS 12 AND 13 LEVELS IN BETA THALASSEMIA MAJOR PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIONS TO VIRAL HEPATITIS C}, author={Hiba H. Hashim هبة حامد هاشم and Qudus W. Jamal قدس وميض جمال and Fatimah A. Alrawi فاطمة الراوي}, journal={IRAQI JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES المجلة العراقية للعلوم الطبية}, volume={13}, number={1}, pages={40-44}, year={2015}, abstract={Background:Several immunological defects can be found in patients with β-thalassaemia, among them is disturbance in the production of some cytokines.Objectives:To evaluate the levels of interleukin-12 and 13 and its relation with Hb, packed cell volume, serum ferritin and between them in β-thalassemic major patients with or without viral hepatitis.Methods:A case control study was conducted on 48 patients with β-thalassemia major divided into two groups; Group I comprised 24 infected with viral hepatitis C and group II comprised 24 patients with no infection; in addition twenty healthy age- and sex-matched subjects were studied as control group. Five ml of venous blood sample were collected; two ml put in EDTA tube for complete blood count and 3 ml in plain tube for biochemical lab investigations; 300 µm from the left-over serum was taken and divided into two tubes; one for estimation of interleukin-12 level and the other for estimation of interleukin-13 using ELISA Reader device.Results:All thalassemic patients with or without viral hepatitis had low level of interleukin-12 and had high level of interleukin-13. Interleukin-12 was much lower in those infected with hepatitis C virus than those with no infection and the reverse with interleukin-13.Conclusion:β-thalassemia major patients had decreased level of interleukin-12 and increased level of interleukin-13 which was more prominent in hepatitis positive thalassemic patients. Inverse correlation was noticed between interleukin-12 and 13 levels in thalassemic patients.Key words:IL-12, IL-13, β-thalassemia major, viral hepatitis.

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