Beta Thalassemia Minor as a Risk Factor for Suicide and Violence: A Failure to Replicate

The aim ofpresent study was to evaluate the association of thalassemia minor with suicide, impulsivity and aggression. The study group consisted of 293 suicidal subjects, 300 violent criminals and 300 control subjects. Thalassemia trait was slightly more common in criminals (7.3%) than in controls (6.67%), this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.75). Similarly, carrier trait was observed more in suicidal subjects (8.87%) though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.3). Despite a plausible biological hypothesis, our study results do not support that thalassemia minor could be a risk factor for suicidal, impulsivity and aggressive behaviors.