Challenges of Blood Transfusions in β-Thalassemia during COVID-19 Pandemic in Low Middle-Income Country

Abstract

Wuhan, Hubei province, China, was recognized as the center of an epidemic of pneumonia of unknown origin in December 2019. Ultimately, intense focus on the disease was raised in China and globally. Consequently, on January 7, 2020, Chinese research scientists identified the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an affected patient in Wuhan. Several members of this family circulate in humans, causing a wide range of disease conditions ranging from mild to life-threatening Beta thalassemia is a congenital hereditary disorder of inefficient erythropoiesis that leads to peripheral red cell breakdown due to defective β-globin series. The severity of the disease depends on multiple genetic and environmental factors. Individuals with beta-thalassemia are classified based on their transfusion demands as having transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) or non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT). Routine transfusion remains the recommended standard management for beta-thalassemia, as it efficiently controls the thalassemia symptoms. If left untreated, Beta thalassemia major (BTM) can eventually induce spleen enlargement, deformation of bone due to bone marrow growth, and heart failure due to severe anemia.