Effect of Age at the Start of Iron Chelation Therapy on Gonadal Function in β-Thalassemia Major

BACKGROUND: Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major tend to have abnormal growth and sexual maturation at puberty, presumably as a result of pituitary iron overload. This study was designed to determine whether chelation therapy with deferoxamine before the age of puberty would ameliorate this problem. METHODS: We examined 40 patients over 14 years of age with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major. The 19 patients in group A …