Thalassemia is a genetic disorder which can be found worldwide. It is caused due to deficiency of Red Blood Cells (RBC) in the human body. The hemoglobin is a protein molecules in Red Blood Cells which carries oxygen.
According to the doctors, it is an inherited blood disorder in which the affected children are unable to maintain hemoglobin at the normal range. The bone marrow can not form sufficient Red Blood Cells and its survival is also greatly reduced.
Furthermore, there are two types of thalassemia; alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia (also called Cooley anemia). The disorders occur when body fails to make alpha protein and beta protein in the body.
However, each type has different symptoms, such as alpha thalassemia causes stillbirth which means death of an unborn child during birth or the late stages of pregnancy. And beta thalassemia causes anemia during the first year of life but children are normal by birth.
Moreover, some other symptoms include bone deformities in the face, fatigue, growth failure, shortness of breath and yellow skin.
There are subtypes of alpha and beta thalassemias which are called minor and major thalassemias. Minor form of alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia have no symptoms except small Red Blood Cells.
Additionally, there are more than million patients of thalassemia in all over the world who are suffering from different kinds of thalassemias. But unfortunately, the treatment for thalassemia is very expressive which is unaffordable for most of the people.
The more common treatments are bone marrow transplant which helps to treat the disorder. Regular blood transfusion and folate supplements. Blood transfusion is useful to maintain normal hemoglobin level. But, it also has side effects with it such as, the regular blood transfusion causes infections of hepatitis B, malaria and HIV.
Besides this, whenever someone receives blood transfusion, then the treatment called ‘chelation therapy’ is available for them. It is done to remove excuses iron from body because high supplements of iron can be harmful.
Thalassemia can be mild and served. In United States the most common severe which is also called ‘Cooley anemia’ appears during the first two years of life. People with such disorder have very slow growth, puberty, spleen liver, heart problems etc.
The major tests for finding if someone has thalassemia or not are blood test and genetic test. Sometimes it happens that people find out their thalassemia because their relatives have similar conditions. And thalassemias are inherited, the condition sometimes runs in families.
The prevention of the thalassemia is very hard because it is a genetic disorder. It is risky if someone has it in their family history. Thalassemia can affect both man and woman.
Thalassemia minor occurs when someone receives faulty gene from one parent. They carry a lot of diseases but most of the time they do not have symptoms.
Alpha thalassemias occurs most often in people from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, China and in those of African descents.
Beta thalassemias occurs most often in people of Mediterranean origin. To a lesser extent, Chinese, other Asians and African Americans can be affected.
Pakistan is one of the top countries where approximately 5,000 children diagnose with thalassemia major in every year.
There is not any prevention of the thalassemia. But experts believe that if people avoid inter family marriages then it will be a great prevention from thalassemias.