Six months follow-up study of cardiac performance using antioxidants in beta - thalassemic patients

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to evaluate the cardiac performance in beta-thalassemic patients before and after 2, 4 and 6 months of antioxidants therapy. Fifty-eight children with beta-thalassemia were involved in the study. Their age ranged from 2 - 13 years. All the patients have a history of multiple blood transfusions. Twenty healthy children of matching age and sex were taken as control. Echocardiography was performed to all patients and control. All patients were given desferrioxamine. They were divided into four groups according to the type of therapy either desferrioxamine alone or combined with vitamin E, beta-carotene or vitamin D. A follow up study with echocardiography was done to all patients. Echocardiography detected a significant increase in LA and RV diameters, RVAW, IVS and LVPW thickness and E/A ratio and a significant decrease in FS% in patients than control. After the use of combined desferrioxamine with antioxidants, a significant improvement in cardiac diameters, thicknesses, FS% and E/A ratio occurred. However these results were not obtained after combined desferrioxamine and vitamin D therapy. The imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants can lead to severe myocardial impairment in beta- thalassemic patients. The use of antioxidants like combined vitamin E and combined beta-carotene with desferrioxamine could stop this impairment. The use of combined vitamin D therapy with desferrioxamine my add more myocardial damage, so it is not advised to be given