Changing patterns of thalassaemia in Italy: a WebThal perspective

Migration has impacted the spread of thalassaemia which is gradually becoming a global health problem. Italy, with an approximate estimation of 7,000 patients, does not have an accurate national record for haemoglobinopathies. This cross-sectional evaluation includes data for approximately 50% of beta-thalassaemia patients in Italy to provide an overview of the burden of thalassaemia syndromes. The analysis included data on epidemiology, transfusions and clinical parameters from 3,986 thalassaemia patients treated at 36 centres in Italy who were alive on 31 December 2017. The study used WebThal, a computerised clinical record that is completely free-of-charge and that does not have any mandatory fields to be filled. For patients with thalassaemia major, 68% were aged ≥35 years and 11% were aged ≤18 years. Patients with thalassaemia intermedia were slightly older. Transfusion data, reported in a subgroup of 1,162 patients, showed 9% had pre-transfusion haemoglobin