Iron toxicity in transfusion dependent DBA children remains a challenge. Iron overload from repeated transfusions is the leading cause of death in DBA patients when excluding transplant related mortality [1].
Although the trend in ferritin levels have been used as a guide to detect iron overload, the reliability has been questioned. The study often quoted is that by Kolnagou A [2], who showed that a low serum ferritin level was not sensitive in predicting cardiac iron overload. T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently the gold standard investigation for iron load detection [3]. FerriScan provides an accurate, validated MRI-based measurement of liver iron concentration and is being used by leading experts globally in DBA patients.
In Africa, according to Resonance Health, FerriScan is now available in a number of our countries.
South Africa
Morocco
Tunisia
Algeria
A comprehensive review of the literature with regards to iron overload in DBA will follow shortly.
Click here for further information on FerriScan Cardiac
Click here for further information on FerriScan liver
References
- Vlachos A, Muir E. How I treat Diamond-Blackfan anemia. Blood. 2010 Nov 11; 116(19): 3715–3723.
- Kolnagou et al. Low serum ferritin levels are misleading for detecting cardiac iron overload and increase the risk ofcardiomyopathy in thalassemia patients. The importance of cardiac iron overload monitoring using magnetic resonance imaging T2 and T2*.Hemoglobin. 2006;30(2):219-27.
- Karimi et al. Correlation of Serum Ferritin Levels with Liver and Heart Mri T2 and Liver Iron Concentration in Beta Thalassemia Intermediate Patients: A Contemporary Issue.
DBA AFRICA 