Tinnitus in a patient with beta-thalassaemia intermedia on long-term treatment with desferrioxamine.

A women with beta-thalassemia intermedia, and iron overload following many years' treatment with oral iron, was treated with subcutaneous desferrioxamine. During the course of this treatment she developed tinnitus, which was considered to be a rare complication of the use of this chelating agent. The mechanism of this effect is not understood.