Patients with haemoglobin disorders, particularly β-thalassaemia or sickle cell disease (SCD) or combined forms, on account of their underlying disease pathology and associated (iron load mainly in the case of thalassaemia) co-morbidities, are defined as high-risk individuals, prone to develop more severe complications from SARS-COV-2.
Despite the fact that epidemiological evidence concerning severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in these patients is currently limited across the world, it is expected that COVID-19 pandemic will have a very serious, negative impact on national economies, healthcare and social systems, and consequently significant respective repercussions on the patients and their families.
In this newly published scientific paper by the peer-reviewed international medical journal ‘Thalassemia Reports’, TIF summarises the key challenges as expressed by patients with thalassaemia, their families and involved healthcare professionals themselves, prior and consequent to the COVID-19 pandemic, describes its response during the pandemic and expresses its position in support of its global patient community.
Read the Full Paper HERE
