Gastric ulcer in a child treated with deferasirox

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Hematology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Thalassemia major is a severe inherited blood disorder requiring lifelong treatment.
• Deferasirox is a widely used iron chelator for managing iron overload in thalassemia patients.
• Iron overload in thalassemia can lead to various complications, necessitating effective chelation therapy.

Observation:

• A patient with thalassemia major developed a gastric ulcer during treatment with deferasirox.
• The gastric ulcer was suspected to be an adverse drug reaction to deferasirox.
• While gastric ulcers are listed as infrequent, this case emphasizes their potential severity.

Findings:

• This report details the first known case of a gastric ulcer attributed to deferasirox in a thalassemia major patient.
• The adverse event highlights a potentially underreported complication of deferasirox therapy.
• The severity of the gastric ulcer necessitated reporting this specific adverse drug reaction.

Implications:

• Clinicians should be vigilant for gastrointestinal adverse events, including gastric ulcers, in patients treated with deferasirox.
• This case may prompt further investigation into the gastrointestinal safety profile of deferasirox.
• Enhanced monitoring and patient counseling regarding potential deferasirox side effects are warranted.