Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the activity of superoxide dismutse (SOD) and the level of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in hydroxyrea (HU) -treated Eβ thalassaemia. We measured SOD level, HbF, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hb) in Eβ thalassaemia patients treated with HU (dose 30mg/kg/day) for 90 consecutive days. There was an increase in HbF synthesis without any increase in Hb in HU-treated patients. The decreased SOD level in long-tem HU therapy in Eβ thalassaemic patients suggests that HU plays some role in inhibiting the superoxide radical generation in thalassamic erythrocytes. HU may act as an inhibitor of oxidative damage of red cells in E thalassaemia.
