What is Thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited condition that causes a problem in the production of hemoglobin, small number of them may have developed it themselves. This leads to anemia, which is a low red blood cell count.

Body condition:

Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. It also carries away the waste product of carbon dioxide. In thalassemia, something goes wrong with the production of hemoglobin. When defective hemoglobin is incorporated into red blood cells, the red blood cells do not function properly. They are more likely to die off. This leads to anemia. Many a times its the function of the spleen as well that it does not manufacture enough good red blood cell.

Thalassemia is an inherited disorder the modern science believes. In a person with thalassemia, one or both parents are positive for the disease. When one parent or grant-parents is positive, the child will have thalassemia minor (mild). When both parents are positive, the child will have thalassemia.

The symptoms of thalassemia depend on the genetic defect and its severity. The more severe the genetic defect, the less hemoglobin that is produced and the more severe the anemia that results. Thalassemia minor may not cause any symptoms. If it does, the most common symptom is long-term, mild anemia.

Someone with thalassemia major usually has severe hemolytic disease. This means that the red blood cells are constantly being destroyed. This occurs faster than the body can replace them. Thalassemia major is usually diagnosed by 1 year of age.

The symptoms of thalassemia major may include:

• paleness
• jaundice, or yellow colored skin
• failure to thrive
• enlarged spleen and liver
• bony abnormalities, especially of the facial bones.

Thalassemia is a common genetic disease. It is more common in people of African, Mediterranean:

Prevent :

There is no way to prevent thalassemia once the child is born. Genetic counseling may be helpful to couples with a family history of the disease. There is a 25% chance with each pregnancy that a child will be born with thalassemia major if both parents carry the gene for thalassemia according to the western data.

Thalassemia minor usually does not cause long-term problems. Thalassemia major, however, can result in stunted growth, problems in bone development, darkened skin, general growth problems, and death.

Risks to others:

Thalassemia is an inherited condition, so a person can passed it on to his or her children.