Social Impact and Quality of Life of Patients with β-Thalassaemia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

β-Thalassaemia (BT) is a hereditary genetic blood disease caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes the haemoglobin protein. In the most severe forms, BT forces patients to undergo frequent blood transfusions, which has a significant impact on the quality of life. Classified as rare, BT is very common in the Mediterranean area, and is also found in the Middle East, Central Asia, India, South America, and North Africa. This disease does not currently have a definitive cure, although technological progress and new gene therapies are achieving promising results. This literature review was conducted with the aim to understand how BT affects patients' lives in various social contexts in which they are involved. The authors also aimed to understand which methods are used for this assessment and the possible social actions that can help in the management of the disease. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were used to search for the articles. Related article titles were selected and reduced to the abstracts of the relevant articles, after which the selected full articles were reviewed. The reviewed articles showed consistent agreement in observing that the quality of life of patients with BT is considerably lower compared with the healthy population in terms of physical, emotional, social, and functioning at school. The negative results highlight the significance of the introduction of suitable programmes by healthcare providers, counsellors, and education authorities to provide psychosocial support, and improve academic performance. In addition, genetic counselling and intervention programmes would positively impact the lives of patients with thalassaemia.