Hypocalcemic heart failure in thalassemic patients

Int J Hematol. 2006 May;83(4):314-7. doi: 10.1532/IJH97.E0532.

Abstract

Hypocalcemic cardiomyopathy in primary or secondary hypoparathyroidism is usually refractory to conventional treatment of cardiac failure. We report the case of a thalassemic patient with severe cardiac failure that might have been attributed to several factors, such as hemosiderosis, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalcemia, refractory to conventional cardiac therapy. Cardiac echocardiography showed impaired biventricular performance, and laboratory analyses revealed hypoparathyroidism due to hemosiderosis. When concomitant treatment of heart failure and calcium supplementation was initiated, correction of hypocalcemia resulted in clinical and laboratory improvement, providing strong evidence in support of our hypothesis about hypocalcemic myocardiopathy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cardiomyopathies / drug therapy
  • Cardiomyopathies / etiology
  • Cardiomyopathies / pathology
  • Heart Failure / drug therapy
  • Heart Failure / etiology*
  • Heart Failure / pathology
  • Humans
  • Hypocalcemia / drug therapy
  • Hypocalcemia / etiology*
  • Hypocalcemia / pathology
  • Male
  • Ventricular Dysfunction / drug therapy
  • Ventricular Dysfunction / etiology
  • Ventricular Dysfunction / pathology
  • beta-Thalassemia / complications*
  • beta-Thalassemia / drug therapy
  • beta-Thalassemia / pathology