Achievement of Pre- and Post-Transfusion Hemoglobin Levels in Adult Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia: Associated Factors and Relationship to Reduction of Spleen Enlargement

INTRODUCTION: The achievement of blood transfusion hemoglobin targets in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients is influenced by several factors such as genotype, hypersplenism, blood compatibility, donor blood adequacy, and transfusion interval. Failure to achieve these targets leads to an increase in the size of the spleen. Meanwhile, the post-transfusion hemoglobin of thalassemia patients that is not regularly evaluated has made it difficult to determine donor adequacy. Therefore, this study aims to determine the proportion of patients who achieve optimal pre- and post-transfusion hemoglobin levels, determine the factors involved, and the relationship between achieving hemoglobin levels with spleen enlargement in adult transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using total sampling of adult thalassemia transfusion-dependent patients at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. Data were obtained through medical records. RESULTS: A hundred and ten study subjects fulfilled inclusion criteria. The results showed that the blood transfusion deficit <30 mL/kg/year was associated with achieving pre- and post-transfusion hemoglobin targets (p = 0.008). Furthermore, there were significant differences between the groups that achieved the pre- and post-transfusion target hemoglobin levels on the reduction of spleen enlargement in centimeters (p < 0.001). However, thalassemia genotype, blood compatibility, and transfusion interval did not correlate with the achievement of pre- and post-transfusion hemoglobin. CONCLUSION: The achievement of pre- and post-transfusion hemoglobin levels in adult transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients significantly reduced spleen enlargement and contributed to better patient outcomes.