title: Growth velocity monitoring of the efficacy of different therapeutic protocols in a group of thalassaemic children.
abstract: Since intensive chelating therapy for thalassaemic children was introduced, growth rates appear to have diminished. To investigate what factors were responsible we compared velocities of growth in length over a period of 1 year between groups distinguished by different strategies of treatment. Forty-two thalassaemic patients, 30 males aged 4-12 years, and 12 females, 4-10 years old, were assigned from their current treatment into subgroups based upon blood ferritin levels, daily dose of desferrioxamine and urinary zinc levels. CONCLUSION The results confirm that a reduction in desferrioxamine results in greater growth. If blood ferritin is low, the change effect may be greater. Secondly, any zinc deficiency should be treated. The changes in treatment convert a growth velocity of -2 to -3 SDS to a velocity of about -1 SDS.
authors.affiliation: Centro di auxopatologia, Università di Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benso
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gambotto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pastorin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Signorile
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tanner
mesh_terms: D015913:Chelation Therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015032:Zinc / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins; D003676:Deferoxamine; D015032:Zinc