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Anaemia of varying degree is a quite common finding in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but only rarely has an association with concomitant haemoglobinopathies and, in particular, β thalassaemia minor, been studied.
In Ferrara and Rovigo areas (the Po’ delta, in the north east of Italy) the prevalence of β thalassaemia is higher than in other parts of Italy (13.1% v 2.1%). We have previously studied the prevalence of this haemoglobinopathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)1 and, subsequently, in patients with SLE from this area.2 We found that patients with RA have a higher prevalence and patients with SLE have a lower prevalence of β thalassaemia than a control group (19.8% and 9.8% v 13.1%, respectively).
In this study we describe the clinical characteristics and …