Iron chelation therapy is the most common
pharmacological treatment, reversing the primary
symptom of iron overload in thalassaemia. Iron
chelation medicines, such as deferoxamine,
deferiprone and deferasirox, bind to excessive
stores of iron and facilitate its excretion
to normalise iron levels in the body, and are
the three current iron-chelating agents used
globally (Borgna-Pignatti and Marsella, 2015).
It is recommended that iron chelation therapy
be maximised pre-conception to establish
balanced iron levels in women, and then withheld
during pregnancy, as there are divided opinions
regarding possible adverse effects on the
developing fetus. However, if women are
considered high risk for cardiomyopathy and
irreversible organ damage, iron chelation therapy
may be considered (Fisher et al, 2013).