Epidemiological and comorbidity burden in transfusion-dependent patients with thalassemia and sickle cell disease in Greece.

TDT and SCD are hereditary hemoglobinopathies that require lifelong red blood cell transfusions. Modern treatment has increased survival, exposing patients to transfusion-related problems such iron excess. Despite this movement toward an elderly patient population, transfusion-dependent adult comorbidity data is scarce, especially in Greece. A retrospective, descriptive observational analysis of 105 adult transfusion-dependent patients (92 with TDT and 13 with SCD) followed at a Greek tertiary hemoglobinopathy center in 2024 was conducted. Organ system-specific chronic comorbidities were identified from medical records. Multimorbidity distribution and comorbidity category frequencies and proportions were estimated. Mean ages were determined by comorbidity burden (≥2, ≥3, and ≥4 conditions). Means and standard deviations appear for continuous variables. Inferential analyses were avoided. All SCD patients and 84.8% of TDT patients had comorbidities. TDT most often affected other or miscellaneous illnesses (68.5%), musculoskeletal or metabolic problems (41.3%), endocrine disease (37.0%), and cardiovascular involvement (23.9%). All SCD patients had additional illnesses, 38.5% had cardiovascular problems, and 23.1% had endocrine and musculoskeletal/metabolic disorders. Multimorbidity was prevalent in both groups. Of TDT patients, 70.7% had ≥2 comorbidities, 52.2% had ≥3, and 41.3% had ≥4. SCD proportions were 92.3%, 84.6%, and 61.5%. Higher comorbidity counts were more commonly observed in older patients in both cohorts. Greek adult transfusion-dependent TDT and SCD patients have many chronic organ system comorbidities.Multimorbidity was more commonly observed in older patients, emphasizing the need for coordinated, multidisciplinary in this aging population.