Last update:
29-Sep-2023

OBJECTIVE To investigate the quality of life and fatigue in adult patients with β-thalassemia, their correlation, as well as their relationship with the sociodemographic and nosological characteristics of the patients.

METHOD The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 100 patients, while data were collected using self-report questionnaires in the transfusions unit of the Provincial General Hospital of Larissa, Greece. The survey was carried out from November 2019 to January 2020 by applying the SF-36 and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) questionnaires to determine patients' quality of life and fatigue levels, respectively. Data analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS), version 22.0.

RESULTS Most participants were women (57%), up to 45 years old (71%), married (50%), with no children (55%), and university graduates (56%). Seventy four percent of the participants had begun transfusions when they were less than 5 years old, with co-morbidity reaching 25% and the familial incidence of the disease being around 24%. Social functionality, physical pain and general health were the quality of life areas that were most addressed by those who reported having serious illness, while primary school graduates presented with a worse quality of life and significantly higher fatigue levels. Men demonstrated higher fatigue levels than women, whereas women demonstrated marginally better overall health. Oral chelation therapy, emotional role, and vitality were identified as independent predictors of fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS Thalassemic patients manifest severe deficits in life quality and increased fatigue. Adequate nursing care and targeted socio-political interventions are required to assist them enjoy the highest level of life quality possible, while they continue to exercise their social and vocational activities easily.

Key words: Fatigue, MFI-20, Quality of life, SF-36, Thalassemia.