Effect of pentoxifylline on treatment of lower limb ulcers in patients with thalassemia major.

The possible healing effect of deferoxamine and pentoxifylline on persisting lower limb ulcers was studied in 51 patients with thalassemia major. The results indicated that the regular use of deferoxamine at an intravenous dose of 20 mg/kg did not affect the healing progress and the recurrence rate of these ulcers significantly. On the contrary, the oral administration of pentoxifylline at a dose of 1,200 mg daily during the ulcer's healing time and at a low long-term maintenance dose of 400 mg daily during the ulcer-free intervals improved their healing ability impressively and diminished their recurrence rate significantly.