Deferasirox for up to 3 years leads to continued improvement of myocardial T2* in patients with β-thalassemia major.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prospective data on cardiac iron removal are limited beyond one year and longer-term studies are, therefore, important.

Design and methods

Seventy-one patients in the EPIC cardiac substudy elected to continue into the 3(rd) year, allowing cardiac iron removal to be analyzed over three years.

Results

Mean deferasirox dose during year 3 was 33.6 ± 9.8 mg/kg per day. Myocardial T2*, assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance, significantly increased from 12.0 ms ± 39.1% at baseline to 17.1 ms ± 62.0% at end of study (P<0.001), corresponding to a decrease in cardiac iron concentration (based on ad hoc analysis of T2*) from 2.43 ± 1.2 mg Fe/g dry weight (dw) at baseline to 1.80 ± 1.4 mg Fe/g dw at end of study (P<0.001). After three years, 68.1% of patients w

SUBMITTER: Pennell DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3366648 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature