Thalassemia - A Blood Disorder, its Cause, Prevention and Management

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder. Public suffering from this disease is not able to make sufficient hemoglobin in the body, which leads to severe anemia. In people with alpha thalassemia, the hemoglobin does not produce sufficient alpha protein. In beta thalassemia, low levels of hemoglobin lead to a lack of oxygen in many parts of the body. Some people with thalassemia intermediate present later than thalassemia major, have milder anemia and by definition do not require or only occasionally require transfusion. The causes of thalassemia are inheriting abnormal and mutated genes involved in hemoglobin production from the parents, if one of the parent is a carrier for thalassemia, child may become a carrier of the disease, though child will not have any symptoms. High levels iron can result in damage to the heart, liver, and endocrine system. Birth of Thalassaemia Major children can only be prevented by knowing the thalassaemia status of the parents before the child is conceived. If both parents test positive for the carrier state, they need to be counseled for prenatal diagnosis in the first trimester of pregnancy to know whether the index fetus is affected or not. If affected, medical termination is advised to the couple. Children and adults with the condition will be supported by a team of different healthcare professionals working together in a specialist thalassaemia centre. Treatment to remove excess iron caused by regular blood transfusions is known as chelation therapy. It's very important because high levels of iron in the body can damage organs. Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are the only cure for thalassaemia, but they're not done very often because of the significant risks involved.