Thalassaemia: clinical management

Advances in the management of thalassaemia major have greatly improved the prognosis for patients with this disease. In countries able to afford programmes of regular transfusion and iron-chelating therapy, survival to the fourth decade is now common, and most complications associated with the primary disease are now infrequently observed. This situation stands in contrast to that in emerging countries, where the widespread implementation of these expensive treatment regimens is still awaited. This review will focus on recent advances in the treatment of thalassaemia and briefly review the progress in experimental approaches to treatment of this disorder.