OBJECTIVES: Patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) have reduced or absent β-globin production and require regular red blood cell transfusions (RBCTs) for survival. This study aimed to describe the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) associated with TDT in England.

METHODS: This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study utilized the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (linked with secondary care data [Hospital Episode Statistics]) in England to identify patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis for β-thalassemia between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2018. Eligible patients with TDT were required to have ≥8 RBCTs per year in ≥2 consecutive years. Patients were required to have ≥1 year of follow-up data after their index date (eighth transfusion in the second year of 2 consecutive years). Patients were followed from the index date until censoring, defined as death, deregistration due to patient leaving the practice, practice discontinuing its contribution to the database, or end of study period (June 30, 2019). Demographics were assessed at the index date, and RBCTs and HCRU were summarized during the follow-up period.

RESULTS: A total of 237 patients met the inclusion criteria for TDT. The mean age of patients at the index date was 24.8 years, 52.3% were female, and 53.6% were South Asian. Patients with TDT averaged 13.6 RBCTs per-patient-per-year (PPPY) in the follow-up period. Patients averaged 34.78 secondary care visits PPPY. Of these (all PPPY), 0.67 were accident and emergency hospitalizations, 16.69 were outpatient visits, and 17.41 were inpatient hospitalizations. Of the 17.41 inpatient hospitalizations PPPY, 16.62 were hospitalizations that lasted <1 day. Patients averaged 24.09 prescriptions PPPY and 6.98 primary care visits PPPY in the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial HCRU associated with the care of patients with TDT in England driven by RBCTs and secondary care visits.