Safety issues of iron chelation therapy in patients with normal range iron stores including thalassaemia, neurodegenerative, renal and infectious diseases

Expert Opinion on Drug Safety. Posted online on 09 Jan 2010.

G J Kontoghiorghes‌†1, A Kolnagou‌2, C-T Peng‌3, S V Shah‌4 & A Aessopos‌5
1Postgraduate Research Institute of Science, Technology, Environment and Medicine, 3 Ammochostou Sreet, Limassol, 3021. Cyprus+35 7 2627 2076; +35 72 627 1434; kontoghiorghes.g.j@pri.ac.cy
2Postgraduate Research Institute, Science, Technology, Environment and Medicine Limassol and Thalassaemia unit, Paphos General Hospital, Paphos, Cyprus
3Children's Medical Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
4Division of Nephrology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA
5First Department of Internal Medicine, University of Athens Medical School, Laiko Hospital, Athens, Greece

Keywords: thalassaemia,  chelation therapy, body iron levels,  neurodegenerative, renal, infectious diseases, chelator overdose toxicity, essential metal deficiencies, deferoxamine, deferasirox,  deferiprone, short-term treatments,  longer term treatments,  non-iron loading conditions.