ICL670: clinical outcome
Cappellini MD
Centro Anemie Congenite, Fondazione Policlinico, Mangiagalli,
Regina Elena IRCCS, Università di Milano, Italy
In thalassemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and sickle cell
disease (SCD), long-term substitution therapy for anemia results in
toxic iron overload which constitutes a significant medical
problem.
As humans have no physiological mechanism to excrete excess iron,
this is deposited in the form of ferritin and hemosiderin in the
liver, spleen, many endocrine organs and in the myocardium. This
accumulation results in a host of clinical complications such as
heart disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and liver failure, and the
primary causes of death among patients who require regular
transfusions are due to the effects of iron overload rather than
the underlying problem. [>Read full article in
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