Abstract Background Renal injury in transfusion dependent β thalassemia patients (TDT) has been attributed to iron overload, chronic anemia and iron-chelation therapy (ICT) toxicity. We studied renal function in TDT patients treated with two different ICT regimes. Patients and methods We studied 36 TDT patients: 26 received deferasirox (DFX) and 10 were treated with deferoxamine (DFO) +/− deferiprone (DFP). Results Increased uNAG was found in 30% of the DFX group vs. 10% of the DFO+/−DFP group, the mean uNAG level in the DFX group was significantly higher than in the DFO+/−DFP group, (P