The following is a summary of “Real-world experience with iron chelation therapy in transfusion-dependent thalassemia: impact of the oral chelators’ era,” published in the December 2024 issue of Hematology by Pines et al.
Iron overload in transfusion-dependent thalassemia causes end-organ damage. Since the 2000s, oral chelators and MRI monitoring have revolutionized its management.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on iron overload in transfusion-dependent thalassemia.
They conducted a retrospective cohort study of 144 patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia at a single US center, tracking changes in liver iron concentration (LIC) and cardiac T2* after switching from deferoxamine to oral chelators or combined therapies.
The results showed a mean monthly decrease in LIC of 0.02 mg/g dry weight and a cardiac T2* increase of 0.07 ms (P < 0.001). From 2006–2010 to 2016–2020, there was a significant reduction in clinically relevant cardiac iron overload and a trend towards decreased hepatic iron overload.
They concluded that oral iron chelators significantly improved iron overload management in transfusion-dependent patients with thalassemia. This led to sustained reductions in iron burden over time.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00277-024-06092-1#Abs1
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