Anemia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anemia, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Long-term treatment with deferiprone in a L1 veteran.

Meo A, Ruggeri A, La Rosa MA, Zanghì L, Kordes U, Fischer R

Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche Mediche e Chirurgiche, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.

We studied a patient with mild beta-thalassaemia major under treatment with the oral chelator deferiprone (DFP or L1) for about 10 yr (L1 veteran). Due to poor compliance with desferrioxamine, the patient started compassionate use of DFP at an age of 23 yr with a serum ferritin of 5200 microg/L. Monitoring iron overload by SQUID biosusceptometry revealed a dramatic decrease of liver iron concentrations from 4500 to 950 microg/g(liver) within 9.5 yr. A good clinical response to chelation treatment with DFP was observed together with an improvement of liver and cardiac function and a reduction in the hepatitis virus load.

Published 6 May 2005 in Eur J Haematol, 74(6): 523-5.
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