LIVING WITH A GENETIC DISEASE: PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF BETA-THALASSEMIA

Key words: Thalassemia, Chronic Disease, Psychosocial Adaptation

The impact of genetic diseases on the quality of life is not always devastating. In the case of thalassemia, despite of monthly dependence on transfusion and daily dependence on deferoxamine and other medical treatments, which are often indispensable, the results in terms of self-confidence, appreciation for one’s physical aspect, family relationships, trust in the future, sexual life, decision-making capacity turned out to be comparable or even better than those recorded for controls.