Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Dr Costas Constantinou, Assistant Professor and Medical Sociology Lead, is the co-author of a recently published paper in Cyprus Review on  ‘How life would be without Thalassaemia: Patients’ perspectives’.  The article focuses on the experiences of patients with thalassaemia in Cyprus. Through a qualitative study of 10 patients and their spouses, the paper shows that thalassaemia is a restricting experience due to blood transfusions and especially iron-chelation therapy, while without such a disease, patients would be better able to fulfil their goals in life. The research participants indicated that thalassaemia impacts on patients’ personal identities and the fatigue and stigma that they often experience can cause disruption to their routine, social life, and leisure activities. The study was part of a larger quantitative study of the quality of life of patients with thalassaemia and was co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund (EU).