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Article Type

Article

Subject Area

Pediatrics

Abstract

Background Cardiovascular complications such as heart failure and arrhythmias caused by 'iron-overload' cardiomyopathy are a leading cause of death in patients with thalassemia major (TM). Aims The study aims to determine the prevalence of cardiac complications in patients with B-TM. This will include cardiac function and electrocardiologic changes, as well as an examination of the relationship between these cardiac complications and various factors, including iron overload, in a 5-year cross-sectional study. Patients and methods After approval by the General Organization of Teaching Hospitals and Institutes' Ethics Review Committee, 40 patients with B-TM and 20 normal children meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited from Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospital. All patients underwent thorough clinical examination, laboratory tests, ECG, and two-dimensional echocardiography with spectral and color flow Doppler analysis. Results All ECG parameters increased in patients compared with the control group (P = 0.05), most notably PR interval r = 0.336, 95% confidence interval 0.01–0.625, P = 0.032. Echocardiography findings revealed that the posterior wall thickness of the left ventricle, the thickness of the intraventricular septum, mass of the left ventricle, and the mass index of the left ventricle were significantly greater in the patient group with elevated ferritin levels (P = 0.05). Conclusion Cardiac function, arrhythmia screening, and ferritin levels should be evaluated on a regular basis in patients with TM to detect early signs of cardiac complications.

Keywords

Cardiac functions, ferritin levels, iron overload, thalassemia

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