PURPOSE: With regular blood transfusions and modern medical management strategies, transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) patients are currently living into adulthood, but they still suffer from the chronicity of the disease and its complications. This study was aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores in pediatric TDT patients compared with healthy controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered to 80 pediatric TDT patients (aged 5 to 18 y, child self-report) and their parents (parent-proxy report), as well as age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (80 participants and their parents). RESULTS: Patients with TDT and their parents rated lower HRQoL scores in all domains (physical, emotional, social, and school functioning) compared with the healthy population (P<0.01). The univariate analysis indicated that the total HRQoL score for children's self-reports was negatively predicted by high ferritin levels and the presence of any complication. The only negative predictor of the total HRQoL score in multivariate analyses was a high ferritin level (>1800 ng/dL). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that thalassemia has a negative impact on HRQoL when compared with a healthy population. For a better quality of life, intensive treatment should be applied for complications and high ferritin levels.
PURPOSE: With regular blood transfusions and modern medical management strategies, transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) patients are currently living into adulthood, but they still suffer from the chronicity of the disease and its complications. This study was aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores in pediatric TDT patients compared with healthy controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered to 80 pediatric TDT patients (aged 5 to 18 y, child self-report) and their parents (parent-proxy report), as well as age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (80 participants and their parents). RESULTS:Patients with TDT and their parents rated lower HRQoL scores in all domains (physical, emotional, social, and school functioning) compared with the healthy population (P<0.01). The univariate analysis indicated that the total HRQoL score for children's self-reports was negatively predicted by high ferritin levels and the presence of any complication. The only negative predictor of the total HRQoL score in multivariate analyses was a high ferritin level (>1800 ng/dL). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that thalassemia has a negative impact on HRQoL when compared with a healthy population. For a better quality of life, intensive treatment should be applied for complications and high ferritin levels.
Authors: Francesca Floris; Federica Comitini; GiovanBattista Leoni; Paolo Moi; Maddalena Morittu; Valeria Orecchia; Maria Perra; Maria Paola Pilia; Antonietta Zappu; Maria Rosaria Casini; Raffaella Origa Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2018-06-19 Impact factor: 4.147
Authors: Asrul Akmal Shafie; Irwinder Kaur Chhabra; Jacqueline Hui Yi Wong; Noor Syahireen Mohammed; Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim; Hamidah Alias Journal: Health Qual Life Outcomes Date: 2020-05-14 Impact factor: 3.186
Authors: Abdulqadir J Nashwan; Mohamed A Yassin; Ganga Devi J Babu; Sindhumole L K Nair; Izette L Libo-On; Hothaifah A Hijazi; Vincenzo De Sanctis; Ashraf Soliman Journal: Acta Biomed Date: 2018-02-16