Endocrinopathies in Thalassemia major patients in Thalassemia Center Jakarta, Indonesia

Background Regular transfusion in thalassemia major patients increases life expectancy and improves quality of life, but results in iron overload, which had toxic effects to organs including endocrine glands. The introduction of iron chelation therapy has reduced its toxicity, but complications may still occur. In Indonesia, most of our patients did not receive optimal iron chelation therapy, which might result in higher prevalence of endocrine complications.