Comparison between desferrioxamine and combined therapy with desferrioxamine and deferiprone in iron overloaded thalassaemia patients.
Mourad FH, Hoffbrand AV, Sheikh-Taha M, Koussa S, Khoriaty AI, Taher A.
Department of Internal Medicine, The American University of Beirut Medical Centre, Beirut, Lebanon.
Desferrioxamine (DFX) alone (40-50 mg/kg/d s.c. over 8-12 h, five times weekly) was compared with combined DFX twice weekly and deferiprone (75 mg/kg/d) over 12 months in previously poorly chelated thalassaemia patients. Serum ferritin fell from 5506 +/- 635 microg/l (mean +/- SEM) to 3998 +/- 604 microg/l (P < 0.001; n = 14) in the DFX group and from 4153 +/- 517 microg/l to 2805 +/- 327 microg/l in the combined group (P < 0.01; n = 11). Deferiprone plus DFX produced a greater mean urine iron excretion (1.01 mg/kg/24 h) than iron intake from blood transfusion in each patient. Main side-effects were skin reactions (DFX alone), nausea and arthralgia (combined therapy). As chelation therapy, the combined protocol was as effective as DFX five times weekly.
Publication Types:
PMID: 12670352 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]