Correlation between Liver Iron Concentration (LIC) by Liver MRI and Ocular Manifestations of Thalassemia

Abstract

halassemia is a severe genetic blood disorder caused by a mutation in the globin gene. Abnormal globin chains lead to the excessive destruction of red blood cells. It is the most common single gene disorder in the world. It is a multidimensional medical, social, and psychological problem. NTDT is a spectrum of thalassemia that does not require regular lifelong transfusion for survival. This group of thalassemia may require occasional transfusions in special circumstances such as infection, pregnancy or growth retardation and may require more regular transfusions later in life due to complications or splenomegaly. Iron overload is also one of the major complications in β-thalassemia. The condition is mainly a result of increased gastrointestinal absorption from ineffective erythropoiesis which leads to iron deposition in the liver. Measurement of liver iron concentration is a key parameter for the management of patients with β-thalassemia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has already demonstrated high accuracy to quantify liver iron content. The aim of this study was correlation between LIC and ocular manifestations in thalassemic patients. The study group included 60 patients from the pediatric hematology clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals. All