Toxic-infectious complications may be related with iron toxicity after a stem cell transplant (SCT). Eighty one patients who
underwent SCT were prospectively evaluated over 3 months for mucositis, bacteraemia and febrile days. Pre-SCT transferrin
saturation (TS), ferritin level and the number of days with TS ≥ 80% after transplant were determined. A ferritin level >1,500 μg/l
predicted the appearance of severe mucositis, bacteraemia and days with fever in univariate (
P = 0.03,
P = 0.03 and
P = 0.03) and multivariate analysis (
P = 0.03,
P = 0.006 and
P = 0.002). Nevertheless, further statistical studies revealed that the predictive value of pre-SCT ferritin levels was restricted
to AUTO-transplanted patients in both univariate (
P = 0.05,
P = 0.05 and
P < 0.001) and multivariate (
P = 0.03,
P = 0.05 and
P < 0.001) analysis, in contrast with the ALLO-transplanted group where this variable did not reach statistical significance.
In conclusion, iron burden seems to influence the appearance of toxic-infectious complications during the first 3 months after
transplant in AUTO-transplanted patients.
Keywords Iron overload - Stem cell transplantation - Mucositis - Bacteraemia - Febrile days