title: Pancreatic exocrine function and cardiac iron in patients with iron overload and with thalassemia.
abstract: Patients with β-thalassemia major at risk of cardiac iron overload have to be identified to undergo myocardial iron measurements by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially, in areas and centers with restricted access to MRI. Measurements of heart iron, liver iron, and pancreatic exocrine function were performed in 44 patients by MRI-R2* [the transverse relaxation rate R2* (= 1/T2*) characterizes the magnetic resonance decay from protons not being in phase with each other in contrast to R2 (= 1/T2)], biomagnetic liver susceptometry (LIC), and pancreatic serum amylase (PAM) and lipase (LIP), respectively. ROC analysis (area: 0.88) for detecting patients with cardiac R2* > 50 sec(-1) (T2* < 20 msec) by LIP revealed a cut-off level of 19 U/L. In conclusion, patients at risk of elevated cardiac iron levels could be identified by the exocrine pancreatic lipase and amylase function parameters.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. j.yamamura@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grosse
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jarisch
authors.forename: Gritta E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Janka
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000681:Amylases / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D008049:Lipase / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D046790:Pancreas, Exocrine / Q000378:metabolism; D012372:ROC Curve; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007501:Iron; D008049:Lipase; D000681:Amylases