title: A synopsis of current care of thalassaemia major patients in Hong Kong.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a synopsis of current thalassaemia major patient care in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  All haematology units of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with thalassaemia major with regular transfusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To date, there were 363 thalassaemia major patients under the care of the Hospital Authority. Prenatal diagnosis has helped to reduce the number of indigenous new cases, but in recent years immigrant cases are appearing. The patients have a mean age of 23 (range, 1-52) years, and 78% of them are adults. In 2009, they received 18 782 units of blood. This accounted for 9.5% of all blood consumption from the Hong Kong Red Cross. In the past, cardiac iron overload was the major cause of death (65%) and few patients survived beyond the age of 45 years. The availability of cardiac iron assessment by magnetic resonance imaging (T2 MRI) to direct the use of oral deferiprone chelation has reduced the prevalence of heart failure and cardiac haemosiderosis, which should reduce mortality and improve life expectancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The future for thalassaemia care in Hong Kong is bright. With better transfusion and chelation, it should be possible to avoid growth and endocrine deficiencies in younger patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. auwing@hotmail.com
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: E Y T
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: W W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kho
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R C H
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: A S C
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: K H F
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Yuen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*