[Recommendations for therapy of juvenile thalassemia major]

Haemosiderosis is the most common cause of death in patients with thalassaemia major because of haemolysis and the necessary repeated transfusions. It is possible to reduce the lethal iron burden by means of iron-chelating agents. We combine a two-day-high-transfusion-regimen of packed cells with the application of high doses of desferrioxamine (500 mg/kg body weight) intravenously. This way we achieve good iron elimination with minimal psychological stress situations.