Clin Pediatr | Volume 5, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access
Abdolkarimi B1, Haji MH2*, Varshochi F3, Pasha Tabaeian SA4 and Amin A3
1Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran 2Department of Pediatric, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran 3Department of Cardiology, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran 4Scientific Membership of Iran University of Medical Sciences and Deputy Minister of Education, Minister of Health, Iran
*Correspondance to: Babak Abdolkarimi
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: Iron overload is the most common cause of mortality and morbidity in thalassemia patients. MRI-T2 is a sensitive and non-invasive method with high accuracy for detecting iron overload but, access to this method is limited in low-income countries. In this study, we try to compare the sensitivity and accuracy of * MRI-T2* with routine cardiac assessments including Electrocardiography (ECG), exercise testing, and echocardiography to find an alternative and inexpensive method for * MRI-T2. Materials and Methods: Ferritin and T2* MRI were extracted as the main indicators of iron overload. Therefore, we also evaluated the patients during one years (2018-2021). CRP test was measured to remove the false positive evaluation of ferritin. The ferritin kits were same in this study. ECGHolter, and QTc, and QT dispersion, echocardiography (conventional & Doppler) and exercise test were compared with MRI-T2*. Results: The sensitivity of the ECG-Holter and echocardiography test for detecting iron overload was 20%. The sensitivity of the exercise test was 100%, but the accuracy of this test is 50%. The sensitivity of the ferritin test for detecting iron overload is 95%, but the accuracy of this test is 75%. The sensitivity of the ECHO was 100%, but the accuracy of this test is 38%. The sensitivity of the Exercise test was 30%, but the accuracy of this test is 44%. Conclusion: The combination of other tests can be an alternative to T2-MRI for detecting iron overload.
Transfusion Dependent Thalassemia; MRIT2; Echocardiography; Holter monitoring; Ferritin; Electrocardiography; Iron overload
Abdolkarimi B, Haji MH, Varshochi F, Pasha Tabaeian SA, Amin A. Determining the Predictive Numerical Value of Routine Cardiac Indices of Iron Overload in Transfusion Dependent Thalassemia Patients in Developing Countries. Clin Pediatri. 2023; 5: 1030..