Analysis Of The Causes Of Death In72β-thalassemia Major Cases In Hospitals

Objective:To analyze various factors which affect survival of thalassemia patients through collecting thalassemia’s patients in13hospitals in Guangxi, evaluate the situation of therapy and patients’live of this disease in Guangxi accurately, and discuss how to reduce the complications, prolong lifespan and improve the patients’quality of life in this study.Methods:The clinical data of deaths of β-thalassemia major in Guangxi’s hospitals were collected through surveying questionnaires. The relationship between cause of death complications, treatment and survival were retrospective reviewed. Statistics was deal with by the SPSS software.Results:Infection was the main death causes (54.2%) of patients in72β-thalassemia major cases from1970to2011, and then the heart disease (38.9%), very severe anemia (4.2%), malignancy (1.4%), transfusion-related complications (1.4%) followed. The most common complications of death were heart disease (75.0%) and infection (65.3%). Patients in the1991-2011showed better median survival than that from1970-1990. The median survival extended from18months to30months. The constituent ratio of heart complications (47.8%) in1991-2011was significantly higher than1970-1990(23.1%). The median survival of the regular blood transfusion patients (124months) was significantly higher than the irregular blood transfusion (24months) or without blood transfusion (10months).Six cases with regular blood transfusion and iron chelator therapy reached the age of169months. It was statistically significant difference with the other treatment groups. In the distribution of death age, patients more than5years accounted for33.3%while who less than5years accounted for66.7%.Regular blood transfusion was the main influencing factors. In multiple regression analysis, regular blood transfusion, anemia status, and the age that anemia founded, regular iron chelator therapy had significant difference.Conclusions1. The major causes of death in72cases of patients with β-thalassemia major are infection and heart failure.2. Iron overload is an important impact on survival of patients. Iron chelation therapy should be considered.3. The regular blood transfusion, anemia status anemia age and regular iron chelation therapy are independent factors influencing patient’s survival.