The Liver Hemosiderosis in Beta-Thalassemia Intermedia and Hemoglobin H Disease

To evaluate the degree of secondary hemochromatosis, liver biopsies were taken from 5 patients with ß-thalassemia intermedia and three patients with hemoglobin H disease. The morphological and the clinical findings were compared. The serum ferritin level was correlated with the grade of hemosiderosis (R=0.818). The age of the patients (R=0.340) and the amount of transfusion (R=0.207) however, were not found related. Patients Splenectomized earlier had developed higher degrees of hemosiderosis.