Mohammad Tahir, Faisal Raza Malik, Saima Ali, Zafarullah Kundi, Nadeem Lkram, Khalid Hassan, Mohammad Abid.
Chelation practices and iron overload in Thalassemia major.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;2(3):148-52.

Objective: To evaluate the current chelation practices in thalassemics in our setup. Materials and Methods: A total of 177 patients with transfusion dependant thalassaemia were evaluated for chelation practices and iron overload. Results: Amongst the patients studied, 98.3% were found to be either non-chelators or inadequate chelators. Iron overload was severe; 81.4% patients had serum ferritin levels above 2500 nglml. Growth failure and enlargement of liver & spleen were also common. Survival appears to be limited, as only four patients were older than 20 years. Conclusion: Iron chelation is a neglected component of treatment in our country. This fact, we believe, is under appreciated.

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