Otorhinolaryngologic Manifestations in Thalassemia Major Patients

Objective: In thalassemia major, extramedulary hematopoiesis results in bony deformities such assever malocclusion in the head and neck, delayed pneumatization of paranasal sinuses and so on.Also, there are many systemic and iatrogenic problems that may affect the head and neck region.The purpose of this study was to determine otorhinolaryngologic manifestations as clinicaldiseases in thalassemia major patients.Material Methods: In a cross sectional study 190 thalassemia major patients were evaluated (byhistory and physical examination) for snoring, epistaxis, nasal obstruction, sinusitis,temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and TMJ dislocation, tinnitus and hearing loss. Radiologicalstudies of the skull and paranasal sinuses and audiological tests were performed. The data wasanalyzed in different age groups with chi2 test.Findings: Relative frequency of some otorhinolaryngologic manifestations in this population washigh. The differences between some clinical diseases as TMJ pain, and epistaxis in different agegroups were statistically significant.Conclusion: Thalassemia major increases some clinical diseases in the Otolarygology field. Withearly diagnosis and early treatment many of them may be prevented.