Baseline survey and demographic characteristics of patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia in Nanning: a cross-sectional analysis

<title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold>Background</bold> To analyze the demographic characteristics of Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (TDT) patients registered at nine hospitals in Nanning City, thereby understanding the distribution of gender, age groups, blood types, and birthplaces within this population. This analysis aims to provide a reference for optimizing blood supply strategies and clinical blood management for TDT patients. <bold>Methods/Materials</bold> Utilizing the "Thalassemia Patient Information and Blood Usage Plan Registration Form," data on transfusion-dependent patients were collected. This included gender (male, female), year of birth (categorized as G1: before 2000, G2:2001–2005, G3:2006–2010, G4:2011–2015, G5:2016–2021), ABO blood type (O ⁺ , A ⁺ , B ⁺ , AB ⁺ ), birthplace (P1: Nanning City, P2: other cities within Guangxi Province, P3: outside Guangxi Province), and the distribution of thalassemia patients across the hospitals. <bold>Results</bold> A total of 766 TDT patients were included, among whom 420 were male, accounting for 54.83%, and 346 were female, accounting for 45.17%.There were 366 people with O⁺ blood type, accounting for 47.78%; 181 people with A blood type, accounting for 23.63%; 192 people with B blood type, accounting for 25.07%; and 27 people with AB blood type, accounting for 3.52%.The birth years are mainly concentrated in groups G3 and G4, that is, those born between 2006 and 2015.The designated transfusion hospitals with the highest concentration of TDT patients are respectively Sixth People's Hospital(H1,Nanning City),People's Hospital of Binyang (H2, Binyang County), Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Mashan (H3, Mashan County). All TDT patients were either registered residents of Nanning City, Guangxi or had families with long-term residence in Nanning City. There were 135 cases (17.62%,135/766) of TDT Patients in Guangxi Province outside Nanning City, among which 89 cases (65.93%,89/135) were in Pingxiang City (within Guangxi region, adjacent to Vietnam). The distribution of ABO blood types was compared between males and females <italic>χ</italic> ²  = 3.407, <italic>P</italic>  &gt; 0.05, which was not statistically significant. The average age of 766 TDT patients in 2025 was 16.82 years (median 14.56 years), among which the average age of men was 16.31 years (median 14.93 years) and that of women was 17.44 years (median 14.05 years). Independent t-test showed no significant age difference between genders ( <italic>F</italic>  = 18.706, <italic>P</italic>  &gt; 0.05). <bold>Conclusion</bold> As the age of Group G3 and G4 increases, the demand for blood in TDT pataints are considered an upward trend. Regularly updating and refining baseline information on TDT patients and assessing their blood demand facilitates the scientific and rational management of clinical blood resources. Demographic analysis of TDT patients in Nanning provides essential backend data for regional thalassemia prevention and control programs. It enhances understanding of patient transfusion status over time and enables prediction of future blood demand trends, thereby supporting the provision of scientifically sound and adequate blood supply support for TDT patients. </p>