Improvement in iron status and liver function in patients with transfusional iron overload with long-term subcutaneous desferrioxamine.
Subcutaneous desferrioxamine (2--4 g over 12 h) was administered 6 nights each week to 34 patients with transfusional iron overloads who continued to receive regular blood-transfusions. All 34 patients showed a fall in serum-ferritin after 5 to 12 months. In some patients serum-ferritin fell almost to normal. Liver function improved in all the patients, serum-aspartate-transaminase levels fell in all 17 patients tested, and liver-iron fell in 5 of 6 patients tested. These studies show that body-iron stores can be substantially reduced, to normal or near normal levels, by long-term subcutaneous desferrioxamine in patients with transfusional iron overload despite the need for continued blood-transfusion. They also show that removal of iron is accompanied by improved organ function.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000628:therapy; D000756:Anemia, Sideroblastic / Q000628:therapy; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D003676:Deferoxamine