Effects of combined deferiprone and desferrioxamine iron chelating therapy in β-thalassemia major end-stage heart failure

Despite usual iron chelating therapy based on desferrioxamine, patients affected by β-thalassemia major (β-TM) often develop progressive heart failure caused by myocardial iron overload, which is the leading cause of mortality within the third decade of life. Heart transplantation is a limited therapeutic option, as very often these patients have multi-organ iron deposits and infective complications (particularly hepatitis C), secondary to frequent blood transfusions. We report the case of a 26-year-old male affected by β-TM with end-stage heart failure, who showed a dramatic improvement in symptoms and myocardial function when a new oral iron chelating agent, deferiprone, was added to standard therapy with desferrioxamine.