Longitudinal changes in serum ferritin levels correlate with measures of hepatic stiffness in transfusion-independent patients with β-thalassemia intermedia

Despite evidence of considerable iron overload in transfusion-independent patients with beta-thalassemia intermedia, data on hepatic outcomes remain scarce. We analyzed data from a cohort of 42 beta-thalassemia intermedia adults followed for four years (median age 38 years), and evaluated the association between longitudinal changes in serum ferritin levels and transient elastography values, a measure of hepatic stiffness predictive of fibrosis. We observed a significant increase in both serum ferritin levels (+81.2 [mu g/l]/year) and transient elastography values in non-chelated patients (n = 28) (+0.3 kPa/year), with two patients worsening their fibrosis stage. Chelated patients (n = 14) had a significant decrease in both measures (-42.0 [mu g/l]/year and -0.9 kPa/year, respectively), with two patients improving their fibrosis stage. There was a strong correlation between the rate of change in serum ferritin level and the rate of change in transient elastography value (R-2: 0.836, p<0.001) noted in both non-chelated and chelated patients. An association between iron overload status and hepatic disease merits further evaluation in this subset of transfusion-independent patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.