Survival, mortality, and complications in patients with beta-thalassemia major in northern Taiwan.
BACKGROUND
Advances in treatment have improved the prognosis in beta-thalassemia major. We present the survival and complications pattern of those patients in northern Taiwan born after 1970.


METHODS
One-hundred and sixty patients with beta-thalassemia major born after 1970 were collected. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to estimate and compare survival. Cox regression models were used to examine the associations of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), time of BMT procedure, and time of complications with survival.


RESULTS
Better survival was observed for patients born after 1980 (P = 0.0121). Heart disease, BMT-related deaths, and infections were the main causes of death. Among the living patients over age 15, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, HCV infection, diabetes, heart failure, and arrhythmia were the common complications. No patients under age 15 had complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Survival for patients with beta-thalassemia major has improved significantly in Taiwan. More time is required to demonstrate whether these modalities added to the treatment of these patients will impact favorably on their outcome. Our success with BMT is improving and we are now in a position to offer this curative alternative.
Chern
Jimmy P S
JP
Department of Family Medicine, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Department of Health, Taiwan.
Su
Syi
S
Lin
Kai-Hsin
KH
Chang
Shu-Hui
SH
Lu
Meng-Yao
MY
Jou
Shiann-Tarng
ST
Lin
Dong-Tsamn
DT
Ho
Wan-Ling
WL
Lin
Kuo-Sin
KS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000150:complications; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy