Introduction: Beta-thalassemia major is a chronic hematologic condition that requires lifelong medical care and imposes substantial psychosocial demands on families. Primary caregivers, particularly parents, face ongoing emotional, financial, and practical stressors that may place them at increased risk for depressive symptoms. Despite this burden, routine screening for caregiver mental health remains limited in many pediatric settings. This study aimed to assess depressive symptoms among primary caregivers of children with beta-thalassemia major using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and to explore potential associations with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 49 primary caregivers of children with beta-thalassemia major followed at a tertiary pediatric hematology center in Türkiye. Data were collected using a structured sociodemographic questionnaire and the PHQ-2. Relationships between depressive symptoms and caregiver- and child-related variables were examined Results: Sixteen percent of caregivers scored above the PHQ-2 cutoff, indicating increased risk for depression. PHQ-2 scores did not differ significantly according to the child’s gender, transfusion frequency, medication use, or presence of medical complications. Similarly, no significant associations were found with parental age, education level, chronic illness, household income, household size, or immigration status. Although not statistically significant, higher depressive symptom scores were observed among caregivers with first-degree relatives affected by chronic illness and among those whose children did not receive formal social support services. Conclusion: A meaningful proportion of caregivers of children with beta-thalassemia major exhibited elevated depressive symptoms, even in the absence of clear sociodemographic or clinical predictors. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating brief mental health screening tools into routine pediatric hematology follow-up and emphasize the need for multidisciplinary approaches that address both medical and psychosocial aspects of chronic childhood illness. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to better identify risk factors and to inform targeted support strategies for caregivers.
Introduction: The relationship between vitamin D supplementation and urinary stone formation in infancy remains controversial, leading to variability in clinical practice regarding continuation or discontinuation of vitamin D in infants diagnosed with urolithiasis. This study aimed to evaluate whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with the presence of urolithiasis in infants. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 77 infants who underwent renal ultrasonography for suspected urinary stone disease. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of ultrasonographically detected urolithiasis. Clinical and laboratory parameters, including serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and urinary calcium-to-creatinine ratios, were recorded. Hypercalciuria was defined using age-specific reference values. Factors associated with urolithiasis were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the 77 infants, 54 had ultrasonographically detected urolithiasis. Mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were similar between infants with and without urolithiasis (34.44±13.63 vs 34.81±15.68 ng/mL, p=0.917). None of the infants exhibited vitamin D excess or intoxication. Infants with stones had higher median urinary calcium-to-creatinine ratios compared with those without urolithiasis median (min-max) [0.58 (0.02–1.98) ve 0.34 (0.08–1.8) mg/mg; p=0.031], and hypercalciuria was more frequent in this group (37% vs 13%, p=0.030). Although younger age and hypercalciuria were associated with urolithiasis in univariate analyses, these associations did not remain statistically significant in multivariable models. Serum vitamin D levels were not associated with stone presence in either univariate or multivariate analyses. Conclusion: In this study, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were not found to be associated with urolithiasis in infants. These findings suggest that vitamin D status alone may not fully explain stone formation during early infancy. Decisions regarding continuation or discontinuation of vitamin D supplementation should therefore consider the overall metabolic and clinical context, including urinary calcium excretion, rather than relying solely on serum vitamin D levels.
