Investigation of Symptom's Frequency, Severity, and Distress in Patients with Leukemia Admitted to Hematology-Oncology Wards of Selected Hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, in 2016

Symptom management is an important caring issue among leukemia patients. However, still little attention has been paid to symptoms in this group of patients from different dimension (frequency, severity, and distress).
This descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 400 patients with different types of Leukemia in Alzahra, Seyyedalshohada, and Hojjatiyeh Hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. The participants were selected through convenience sampling in 2016. For data collection, a demographic characteristics questionnaire and the Memorial Symptoms Assessment Scale (MSAS) were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software.
Findings: The most common symptoms (with a prevalence of higher than 50%) were lack of energy, sleeping disorder, feeling sad, pain, nervousness, feeling ill, worrying, feelings irritable, loss of appetite, numbness and tingling in hands and feet, weight loss, sweating, and dry mouth. Moreover, most common symptoms in terms of frequency, severity, and distress were worrying, lack of energy, pain, sleeping disorder, feeling sad, nervousness, and feeling irritable.
Results of this study showed that symptoms related to the psychological dimension are experienced more by patients with Leukemia than physical symptoms. Thus, psychological support and counseling is necessary for these patients.