Assessment of Visual Problems on Patients with Thalassemia (Major) and it impact on their Quality of Life: Case control study

Abstract

Background: Major thalassemia is the most inherited hemoglobinopathy that caused severe and progressive anemia. Iron overload due to repeated blood transfusion cause organ damage such as heart, liver, endocrine gland and skeletal system. Desferal, as an iron chelator is used to eliminate iron in the blood that despite its side effects is few, visual problems due to it is exactly known. Objectives: 1-Assessment of visual problems among thalassemia major patients 2- To find out the impact of the visual problems on patients quality of life 3- To compare between thalassemic major patients quality of life for case and control study. Methodology: A descriptive design study was carried out in Ibn-Al-baldi hospital and AL-Karama hospital, starting in 1th November 2013 to the 1st Jun 2014. A non- probability (purposive) sample of 70 adults thalassemia major patients who have visual complication (Case) were attending to the hospitals, and 70 thalassemia major patients not have visual complication as a control study sample. The study instrument was composed of three parts and page of patents agreement to participate in the present study, which as socio- demographic information was included; age group, gender, marital status, level of education, occupational, economic, part two consist of medical information was comprised of (15 ) items, which deals(The past and present medical history), and the Indian Vision Function questionnaire. (IND -VFQ) which consist of (33-items) to measures the quality of life. The researchers used the appropriate statistical methods for data analysis which include the descriptive data analysis, and inferential data analysis, by using the SPSS version 19. Results: the results of present study revealed that 47.1% of the study sample have visual problems since 5-20 years, 45.9%, 23% of these problems was cataract and myopia respectively, and the quality of life for control group batter than quality of life for case groups. Conclusion: High percent of the study sample have visual complication for 5-20 years ago, most of them have cataract, most of the study sample have defect in both eyes, and there were significant relationship was appear between eye problems and patients wear class, and there were highly significant between patients feel batter after operation and their problems in both eyes at p-0.05 value. Recommendation: the researchers recommends to all thalassemic patients should be screened for such complications. However, the results were not conclusive on whether these complications are attributable to the anemia, the iron overload, or a side effect of the iron chelating agents, and works to rehabilitation of patients with visual problems to cope with the situation by training patients to daily life activities.