Intravenous and subcutaneous desferrioxamine therapy in children with severe iron overload

✍ Scribed by G. E. Janka; P. Möhring; M. Helmig; R. J. Haas; K. Betke

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 430 KB
• Volume: 137
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-6997
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00443259

✦ Synopsis

Ten children with transfusion dependent anemias (thalassemia, sideroblastic anemia, congenital pure red cell aplasia) received either intravenous desferrioxamine (DF) in increasing doses up to 450 mg/kg at the time of transfusion or daily subcutaneous DF up to ll0mg/kg on an outpatient basis. No patient on intravenous DF reached a negative iron balance. All children with a subcutaneous DF dose of more than 60 mg/kg obtained a negative iron balance with a net iron excretion (transfusion iron already substracted) between 206 to 810rag (mean 496 rag) monthly. The effectiveness of regular subcutaneous DF on liver storage iron could -be confirmed in 4 patients by liver biopsy, showing a decrease between 40-60% iron after 12-14 months of chelation therapy. So far the daily iron excretion has remained constant with a given dose of DF over a period up to 15 months. Even if poor compliance in some patients is taken into account, it is possible with this method of treatment to prevent further accumulation of iron in chronically transfused children.