Thalassemia is an inherited and genetic blood disorder that affects your body's ability to produce hemoglobin and healthy red blood cells. Most people with this disease experience symptoms of anemia ranging from mild to severe.

Thalassemia disease is relatively common and can be diagnosed with various tests.... But this disease currently has no definitive treatment and its symptoms can only be improved.... Thalassemia is a hereditary disease, which means it is passed from parents to children through genes.... In fact, this disease is caused by a genetic mutation and often affects a person's face. How dangerous is thalassemia?

What is thalassemia disease?

Hemoglobin is an important protein in red blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen throughout the body.. Other cells in the body are nourished in this way.. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that does not allow the body to produce enough of this protein..

The presence of low red blood cells in the body is known as anemia, which is common in thalassemia patients... Red blood cells play an important role in delivering oxygen to the body's tissues.... The lack of sufficient amounts of those cells deprives the body's cells of the production of oxygen needed for energy and growth....

Next, you can view photos of thalassemia patients:

It is good to know that patients with moderate to severe thalassemia are usually identified in the first two years of life... If you see some signs and symptoms of this disease in your baby or child, see a blood specialist (hematologist).

Know the types of thalassemia!

The adjectives minor and major are used to describe the severity of the disease....These labels indicate the extent to which having a characteristic of the disease may cause mild anemia or no symptoms.

Beta thalassemia

In this type of disease, you inherit two beta globin genes from your parents... Generally, beta thalassemia has two forms:

• Minor: People with thalassemia minor experience a mild level of anemia symptoms and are not actually sick....however, they can pass the defective genes to the next generation....this transmission happens when the minor marries another (minor) carrier.
• Major: This type of thalassemia is the most serious type of disease and requires medical intervention (regular blood transfusion)... because the number of defective genes in thalassemia major is more and causes moderate to severe symptoms of the disease... People with thalassemia major can also pass the disease to the next generation.

Alpha thalassemia

Hemoglobin alpha protein chain has four genes, 2 of which are inherited from each parent... If you have one abnormal copy of one alpha gene, you will not get thalassemia... But if you have 2 abnormal copies of the alpha gene, you will have a mild form of the disease.

Is thalassemia dangerous?

If the number of abnormal genes transferred is more than 2, alpha thalassemia becomes serious and dangerous... Babies who have four abnormal copies of the alpha gene are often stillborn or do not survive for a long time... In beta thalassemia, if you have 2 abnormal copies of the beta gene, the disease will be more dangerous>..

How do I know if I have thalassemia?

Symptoms of this disease appear differently based on its severity and type. The most common symptoms are:

Mild to moderate symptoms

• Mild anemia
• Growth problems
• delayed puberty
• osteoporosis
• Bone abnormality
• Enlargement of the spleen

If your spleen becomes too large, the person will experience abdominal swelling, in which case the doctor will remove the spleen.

Severe symptoms

• weakness
• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• Abdominal swelling
• Dark urine
• Decreased growth
• Headache and dizziness
• Cramps in leg muscles
• Increased heart rate
• More sensitivity to infections
• pale yellowish skin
• Facial bone deformities

Symptoms of thalassemia in children

Some children show the signs and symptoms of this disease at birth.. Others show them in the first two years of life.... Even in some children, only one hemoglobin gene is affected and the symptoms of the disease are not seen in them.... The most common symptoms in children are:

• fatigue
• Jaundice
• Skin paleness
• Decreased appetite
• Decreased growth

If the signs and symptoms of thalassemia are observed in your child, see a hematologist.

What is the cause of thalassemia?

Hemoglobin consists of four protein chains, 2 alpha globin chains and 2 beta globin chains.... Each chain contains genetic information or genes that have been passed down from your parents.... These genes are a kind of code or programming that controls each of your hemoglobin chains.... If any of the genes is defective or destroyed, this alpha or beta disease is It depends.... defect.... The degree of impairment determines how severe your condition is.

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What factors increase the risk of thalassemia?

The factors that increase the risk of contracting this disease are:

• Family history: Thalassemia is transmitted from parents to children through mutated hemoglobin genes.
• Certain races: African Americans, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asians are more likely to suffer from this disease.

Know the symptoms of thalassemia!

Your body may receive too much iron through repeated blood transfusions or the disease itself.... This condition causes damage to the heart, liver and endocrine system.... The endocrine system is the glands that are responsible for producing certain hormones....

Therefore, the regulation of the body's processes is disturbed.... That is why you may have frequent severe infections.... This infection can be transmitted through transfused blood.... That is why the blood transfusion organization does a careful screening of blood donors.

Methods to prevent thalassemia

Prevention of thalassemia is impossible in most cases.... If you have thalassemia and you have the genes for it before having children, talk to a genetic counselor for guidance.

There is a type of assisted reproductive technology that screens embryos for genetic mutations at an early stage with in vitro fertilization. This technology may help parents with thalassemia or carriers of the hemoglobin gene to have healthy babies.

How is thalassemia diagnosed?

Moderate and severe levels of this disease are often diagnosed in childhood.... because symptoms usually appear in the first 2 years of a child's life.... For a final diagnosis of thalassemia, the doctor recommends the following tests:

Thalassemia treatment

The mild form of this disease (minor) does not need treatment.... Treatments for moderate to severe (major) thalassemia include:

Medical treatment

The following methods are used to treat thalassemia in adults:

• Frequent blood transfusions: They often need blood transfusions every few weeks to restore normal levels of red blood cells and healthy hemoglobin.
• Iron removal: This is a treatment method to remove excess iron from the blood, which will be very important for health.
• Folic acid supplements: can help your body make healthy blood cells.
• Stem cell transplant: This method, which is called a bone marrow transplant and is usually received from a sibling, is effective in some cases. Stem cells in children with severe thalassemia can reduce the need for lifelong blood transfusions and the use of drugs to control iron overload.

Care at home

• Following a healthy diet
• Avoid taking extra iron without a doctor's prescription
• Consumption of foods containing calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone health
• Maintaining personal hygiene such as washing hands regularly to prevent infection
• Taking seriously the annual flu vaccine and other vaccines to prevent meningitis, pneumonia and hepatitis B
• In case of fever or other symptoms of other infections, see a doctor immediately

How does thalassemia affect pregnancy?

This disease causes various concerns related to pregnancy.... The growth of the reproductive organs is affected.... For this reason, women with thalassemia may face fertility problems.

To ensure the health of you and your baby, it is important to plan as much as possible in this area....If you are planning to have children, discuss this with your doctor to ensure your health....Iron levels and underlying diseases related to important organs should also be carefully checked.

Prenatal testing for thalassemia may be done at 11 and 16 weeks... This is done by taking a sample of fluid from the placenta or fetus, respectively.

Thalassemia at a glance

Symptoms of this disease, the type of treatment and the number of times it is needed depends on the type and severity of thalassemia... If you or your spouse is a carrier of genes for this disease, if you plan to get pregnant, be sure to consult with a genetic specialist and psychologist....Which symptoms do you think are more noticeable in people with thalassemia?... Share your opinions and experiences with us in this article from GCORP LLC magazine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: CDC webmd | Cleveland Clinic