Evaluation of anxiety and depression levels and quality of life in patients with beta thalassemia major

The Introduction and Purpose of the Study: Thalassaemia consists one of the most common chronic and genetic hematological disorder, globally and is therefore considered a serious public health problem. In such chronic conditions, the survival and quality of life of patients are extremely important, and psychological problems such as depression and anxiety disorders occur in patients. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the depression, anxiety levels and quality of life of patients with beta thalassemia major who were followed up in Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and compare them with a healthy control group. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients aged 8-18 years who were being followed up with a diagnosis of beta thalassemia major and receiving regular transfusion therapy were included in the study. In the control group, 45 healthy children who had similar characteristics to the patient group in terms of gender and age distribution, and who applied to the general pediatric outpatient clinic for routine control purposes without any health problems were included in the control group. After completing the patient information and consent form, basic demographic information (age, gender, education level, disease type) was obtained from the participants. In the study, the Children's Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL), Kovacs's Depression Scale for Children (CDI) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) were used. The data of both groups obtained afterwards were compared with each other. Findings: The mean age of 33 patients with a diagnosis of beta thalassemia major, 19 girls and 14 boys, was 12.21 ± 2.88. In the control group, the average age of 45 children, 25 girls and 20 boys, was 11.96 ± 1.87. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of mean age and gender distribution. According to the results of our study, 15.2% of patients with BTM were depressed, this rate was 13.3% in the control group, and there was no statistically significant difference. Anxiety disorder was present in 57.6% of the patients. This rate was 33.3% in the control group, and the anxiety level in patients with BTM was significantly higher than in the control group. When the SCARED subscales in our study were evaluated, the mean scores of generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety score and school fear were found to be statistically significantly higher in patients with BTM than the control group. In our study, the total score of PedsQL and its subgroups, physical health, social health, school functionality and psychosocial health total scores, were found to be significantly lower in patients with BTM than the healthy control group. The quality of life of patients diagnosed with beta thalassemia major have poorer, especially in the areas of school functionality and physical health. In our study, higher anxiety and depression levels were found to be associated with poorer quality of life in patients with BTM. The mean of CDI, SCARED and PedsQL scores of patients with BTM in our study were compared with their ferritin levels. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean CDI, SCARED and PedsQL scores of patients with ferritin level <2000 ng/ml and patients >2000 ng/ml. Compared to the incidence of anxiety disorder in patients with ferritin levels; anxiety disorder ferritin levels were statistically significantly higher in patients above 2000 ng/ml. Results: In our study, the depression rate in BTM patients was higher than the control group, but it was not statistically significant. Anxiety levels were significantly higher in BTM patients compared to the control group. The quality of life of patients diagnosed with beta thalassemia major was low in areas of physical, social and school functionality. Keywords: Beta thalassemia major, quality of life, depression, anxiety,