Sophia Delicou: Iron Chelation Plateaus and Organ-Specific Iron Distribution in β-Thalassemia
Sophia Delicou, Head of Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Unit, Head of the Expertise Center of Hemoglobin Diseases and Their Complications at Hippokrateio General Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article she and her colleagues co-authored, published in Expert Review of Hematology, adding:
“Excited to share our latest publication in Expert Review of Hematology!
In this review, we explore a challenge many clinicians face in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia: the apparent ‘plateau’ during iron chelation therapy, when ferritin or MRI iron indices stop improving despite ongoing treatment.
A few key points from our work:
- Many ‘plateaus’ may actually reflect steady-state iron balance rather than treatment failure
- Ferritin alone can be misleading, especially at high levels
- Multi-organ MRI (liver, cardiac, pancreatic iron) is essential for understanding iron distribution and treatment response
- Organ-specific iron compartmentalization may explain why some patients respond differently to different chelation strategies
- Personalized and organ-targeted approaches are likely the future of iron overload management
Very grateful to all co-authors and collaborators of our multidisciplinary team for this wonderful teamwork and especially to our patients, who continue to inspire both clinical care and research every single day.”
Title: Apparent plateaus during iron chelation in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia: interpretation and clinical implications
Authors: Sophia Delicou, Constantina Aggeli, Iliana Mani, Christos Savvidis, Aikaterini Xydaki, Maria Moraki, John Koskinas
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