ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the factors related to the severity of disease symptoms in patients with acute leukemia (AL). Methods 198 AL patients with symptoms of disease (anemia, bleeding, infection, fever, etc.) from September 2013 to July 2016, were evaluated by the questionnaires of self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQA), Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS), family environment scale (FES), self-rating scale of illness conception and health seeking behavior (ICHSB). The results were compared with 198 healthy volunteers. Results The scores of SDS, SAS, factorⅠin FES, factor Ⅲ in FES, factor Ⅳ in FES, nervous and the total scores of EPQA, factor Ⅱ in TAS, factor Ⅱ in ICHSB were significantly higher in AL patients than those in healthy subjects [(41.09 ±6.85) scores vs. (36.74±6.99) scores, t=2.150, P=0.031; (38.64±7.51) scores vs. (31.79±7.57) scores, t= 3.327,P=0.001;(2.38±1.54) scores vs. (5.18±1.33) scores, t=3.319, P=0.001;(3.31±1.82) scores vs. (2.23±1.99) scores, t= 3.325, P= 0.001; (2.41±1.62) scores vs. (5.75±1.51) scores, t= 3.332, P= 0.001; (14.14±5.37) scores vs. (11.01±5.51) scores, t= 5.179, P= 0.000; (42.97±7.10) scores vs. (40.41±6.51) scores, t= 2.930, P=0.004;(22.97±4.57) scores vs. (21.54±4.13) scores, t=2.926, P=0.004; (16.37±3.89) scores vs. (15.92± 3.93) scores, t= 2.104, P= 0.034]. The difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05). The risk factors of AL were SAS (95 %CI= 1.064-1.210, P= 0.001), factor Ⅲ in FES (95 %CI= 1.104-1.694, P= 0.004), age (95 %CI= 1.027-1.094, P= 0.001), factor Ⅱ in TAS (95 %CI= 1.046-1.352, P= 0.005), besides, education level (95 %CI= 0.708-0.866, P= 0.001) acted as the protective role. Conclusions AL patients tend to the psychological problems such as depression, anxiety. Those will show much severer symptoms as a consequence of lacking of family warmth and concern, low expression of emotion, lacking of organization, low economic capacity, tension, and lacking of the ability to distinguish between emotion and physical feelings.