Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, or EDTA, is a synthetic amino acid approved by the FDA for the removal of toxic metal ions such as lead. EDTA is used in isolation for heavy metal poisoning; however, the vast majority of practitioners who offer intravenous EDTA treatments utilize it as a part of a comprehensive therapy program for treating atherosclerosis and other chronic degenerative disease...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW EDTA chelation therapy has been in off-label use for the treatment of atherosclerosis. We review the results of the first large-scale randomized trial of this treatment. RECENT FINDINGS The trial to assess chelation therapy was a $30 million National Institutes of Health-funded study of the safety and efficacy of EDTA-based chelation infusions in 1708 post-myocardial infarct...

For the treatment of acute poisoning from the inhalation of nickel carbonyl, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (Dithiocarb) has proved to be a specific antidote; tetraethylthiuram (Antabuse) is effective to a lesser degree; d-penicillamine and dimercaprol (BAL) have limited therapeutic value. For the treatment of nickel eczema and dermatitis, favorable response has been obtained by placing patients...

Transfusion therapy for inherited anemias and acquired refractory anemias both improves the quality of life and prolongs survival. A consequence of chronic transfusion therapy is secondary iron overload, which adversely affects the function of the heart, the liver and other organs. This session will review the use of iron chelating agents in the management of transfusion-induced secondary iron ...

Chronically transfused patients develop iron overload that leads to organ damage and ultimately to death. The introduction of the iron-chelating agent, desferrioxamine mesylate, dramatically improved the life expectancy of these patients. However, the very demanding nature of this treatment (subcutaneous continuous infusion via a battery-operated portable pump) has been the motivation for attem...

The cornerstone of the treatment of Wilson’s disease is a reduction of copper levels in vivo using the orallyadministered chelating agents D-penicillamine and trientine dihydrochloride. Patients with side-effects from receiving multiple blood transfusions for the amelioration of inherited anaemias are also successfully treated with chelating agents. Blood transfusion elevates these patients’ ir...

BACKGROUND Understanding patients' views about medication is crucial to maximize adherence. Thalassemia is a congenital blood disorder requiring chronic blood transfusions and daily iron chelation therapy. METHODS The Beliefs in Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ) was used to assess beliefs in chelation in thalassemia patients from North America and London in the Thalassemia Longitudinal Cohort (TLC...

Wilson’s disease is a disorder of copper metabolism leading to accumulation the metal in different organ. Hepatic manifestation tend occurs first decade and neurological symptoms third decade. Neurological are said worsen with chelation therapy.

NEW DRUGS Ferriprox Reduces Excess Iron Deferiprone (Ferriprox, Apo-Pharma, Inc.) has been approved to treat iron overload resulting from blood transfusions in patients with thalassemia who have responded inadequately to previous chelation therapy. Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that causes anemia. Patients with thalassemia have excess iron levels from frequent blood transfusions, a se...