Evaluation of iron chelation therapy in thalassemic patients in Zagazig University Hospitals

Patients with chronic anemias such as thalassemia, sickle cell disease and congenital rare anemias require regular blood transfusions in order to improve both quality of life and survival. Humans are unable to eliminate the iron released from the breakdown of transfused red blood cells and the excess iron is deposited as hemosiderin and ferritin in the liver, spleen, endocrine organs and myocardium (Galanello et al, 2006).The accumulation of toxic quantities of iron causes tissue damage and leads to complications such as heart failure, diabetes, hypothyroidism and liver failure. Morbidity and mortality in regularly-transfused thalassemia patients are due primarily to the effects of iron overload rather than to the underlying disease, with over half of all deaths attributable to cardiac complications (Galanello et al, 2006).Effective and convenient iron chelation remains one of the main targets of clinical management of thalassemia major. For about 30 years, Desferrioxamine (DFO) therapy has been performed as nightly continuous subcutaneous infusion. About 20 years ago, the first oral iron chelator Deferiprone (DFP) was presented (Cario et al 2007).During recent years, chelation therapy and its evaluation started to progress rapidly. Clinical research and drug development as well as the introduction of new methods for the assessment of iron overload