Analysis of Survival in Patients with β-thalassemia Major in Guilan, Northern Iran

Background: Advances in treatment of thalassemia major (TM) have improved life expectancy and survival of the patients. This study was conducted to assess survival rate of these patients in Guilan province, Northern Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, records of 1243 patients with TM from 2001 to March 2016 were evaluated in Guilan province. Sources of data were health centers of the province and territories, blood transfusion organization, general hospitals and private clinics. Data were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method.  Results: 958 (77%) patients were born before 1997, the year that screening program of β-thalassemia in Iran was started. No case of β-TM was born during the last 5 years of the study. The 5, 10, and 15-year survival rate for all patients were 100%, 100%, and 99.6%, respectively. Hepatitis C infection was associated with decreased survival rate. Conclusion: Survival in patients with TM has dramatically improved over the recent years and future studies about causes of death in these patients are highly recommended.