[The echocardiographic characteristics of cardiac lesions in beta-thalassemia]

The authors submit the results of clinicoechocardiographic investigations of 35 patients with beta-thalassemia aged from 4 to 37 years of whom 23 patients were with acute beta-thalassemia, 6 with an intermediary form and 6 with a heterozygotic form of the disease. Various echocardiographic changes were observed in patients with acute and intermediary forms of beta-thalassemia, i.e. prolapse of the mitral valve (52 and 50 per cent), the presence of fluid in the pericardium (13 and 17 per cent), structural changes in the valvular apparatus (56 and 83 per cent), disorders of the inotropic and diastolic functions of the heart.