Thalassemia Awareness Among Iraqi People in 2018

Abstract

Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disease that is common in Iraq with a prevalence of 35.7 per 100,000. It is the most common type of hereditary anemia registered in 2015. It is a life-threatening condition with many complications which if not managed could cause death in early age. This study aimed to assess the awareness of Iraqi people about thalassemia transmission and prevention and to find their source of information about the disease, as developing good awareness is the first and the most advantageous road to establish a successful prevention program. This cross-sectional study involved 417 participants who were from medical and non-medical fields. It was conducted as an online survey in addition to participants interview using a self-structured questionnaire which was tested for content and face validity, unidimensionality and test-retest reliability in a pilot study of 40 participants. Each participant who had heard about the disease was given a score (0-5) based on their knowledge: 68.8% of the people had heard about the disease previously, those had a mean score of 3 out of 5; 84% claimed that thalassemia is a noncommunicable disease which resembles the highest awareness aspect. The lowest one was about the preventability of the disease. Significant correlation was found between the score of awareness and the age. People awareness about thalassemia was relatively good. A control strategy should be directed to elevate the awareness level about thalassemia in the community with the application of the national program for thalassemia control.

Exploring patients’ perspectives about thalassemia and Its treatment modalities: cross sectional hospital-based study

“…Iraqi general population showed accepted knowledge and awareness level toward thalassemia principle information as inherited non communicable disease according to thalassemia reports in 2018. 13 Consistently good level of awareness about thalassemia was also observed in UAE population. 19 In other cross-sectional study on Indian population, about 58% had sufficient knowledge; 84 % had positive attitude while majority (86%) had bad practice in thalassemia.…”

“…2,7 The understanding and awareness level of patients in their disease as well as the belief in treatment effectiveness are very fundamentals to ensure proper disease management, decrease complications and to optimize therapeutic outcomes. [8][9][10] Although there are several studies explored the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of thalassemia among healthy populations in order to lower disease prevalence, 4,[11][12][13] very limited studies were performed on thalassaemic patients to assess their understanding, belief and behaviour about the disease and its therapy. 14,15 The awareness level among thalassaemic patients regarding their lifelong disease and its challenges is the most effective way to decrease the disease complications, produce positive impact in their quality of life and improve their performance to deal with chronicity of their disease.…”