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Evaluation of electrocardiography, echocardiography and cardiac T2* for cardiac complications in beta thalassemia major

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Abstract

Cardiac complications such as heart failure and arrhythmias caused by “iron-induced” cardiomyopathy are considered as the primary cause of death in the patients with β-thalassemia major. The aim of this study was to evaluate electrocardiography, echocardiography according cardiac T2* and ferritin findings of patients followed-up for β-thalassemia major, and to investigate the importance of these findings for early detection of cardiac complications. The study included 41 patients and 25 healthy individuals with matched age and gender. The cardiac T2* results revealed a cardiac iron load below 20 ms in 12 (29.27%) patients, and above 20 ms in 29 (70.73%) patients. All electrocardiography parameters significantly increased in the patient group when compared to the control group (p < 0.05). All parameters except P wave segment in electrocardiography and T peak-end/QT ratio were significantly higher in the group with cardiac T2* < 20 ms than the group with cardiac T2* > 20 ms (p < 0.05). Intraventricular septum thickness, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left ventricular mass and left ventricular mass index detected by echocardiography were significantly higher in the group with T2* < 20 ms (p < 0.05). Electrocardiography, echocardiography, cardiac T2* and ferritin findings should be carefully evaluated in these patients in order to detect early signs of cardiac complications.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms Çağla Sarıtürk (statistician) who made the statistics of this study.

Funding

Our study has not received any financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Eğitim, Dr. Erkin Cd. No:161/1, 34722, Kadıköy/Istanbul, Turkey

    Fadime Ersoy Dursun

  2. Department of Cardiology, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Gönül Açıksarı

  3. Department of Radiology, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Serçin Özkök

  4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Onur İncealtın

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  1. Fadime Ersoy Dursun
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  2. Gönül Açıksarı
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  3. Serçin Özkök
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  4. Onur İncealtın
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Contributions

FED design to the study, collected patients data and wrote the article, GS design to the study and made and evaluated electrocardiography and echocardiography. SÖ evaluated T2* MRI. OI design to the study and evaluated the laboratory findings.

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Correspondence to Fadime Ersoy Dursun.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the local ethics committee of Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine prior onset of the study (no:2021/0257).

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Written informed consent for the study was obtained from each participant after a data-oriented explanation was made about the aims and scope of the study in accordance with the principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

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Ersoy Dursun, F., Açıksarı, G., Özkök, S. et al. Evaluation of electrocardiography, echocardiography and cardiac T2* for cardiac complications in beta thalassemia major. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 38, 533–542 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-021-02421-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-021-02421-x

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