Work

Early Cardiac Iron Overload in a Child on Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: An 11-year-old boy with Down syndrome and acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed hepatic dysfunction after only 10 months of treatment. MRI revealed severe iron deposition in the liver, pancreas, and heart. In stark contrast to what is seen in hemoglobinopathies, pancreatic and cardiac iron overload occurred with relatively low transfusion exposure and in a very short time period in this patient. Although extensive experience managing iron overload in hemoglobinopathies informs our approach in other diseases, it is clear that factors not present in hemoglobinopathies may be operative in patients with malignancy undergoing intense chemotherapy that lead to high levels of free iron and rapid loading of the heart and endocrine organs.

Source: PEDIATRICS

DOI: 10.1542/peds.2014-3770

Authors: Aaron J. Reitman, Thomas D. Coates, David R. Freyer

Institutions: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California

Language: English

Topic: Iron Metabolism and Disorders

Subfield: Hematology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Cancer Institute