How long is the average lifespan of a person with thalassemia?

How long is the average lifespan of a person with thalassemia?

Persons with the thalassemia trait have a normal life expectancy. Persons with beta thalassemia major often die from cardiac complications of iron overload by 30 years of age.

Is thalassemia major fatal?

Thalassemia major can be fatal. People with alpha thalassemia major die in infancy. People with beta thalassemia major require regular blood transfusions. There are other forms of thalassemia which are not as severe.

How does thalassemia affect your life?

When left untreated, this condition can lead to problems in the liver, heart, and spleen. Infections and heart failure are the most common life-threatening complications of thalassemia in children. Like adults, children with severe thalassemia need frequent blood transfusions to get rid of excess iron in the body.

How does thalassemia affect daily life?

People who have mild or minor forms of thalassemia can typically lead normal lives. In severe cases, heart failure is a possibility. Other complications include liver disease, abnormal skeletal growth, and endocrine issues. Your doctor can give you more information about your outlook.

Is thalassemia the same as sickle cell?

Beta thalassemia disease is not a form of sickle cell disease, but it is a serious lifelong illness. People who have beta thalassemia disease do not make enough hemoglobin. The amount of hemoglobin a child can produce, determines whether a child has: Beta Thalassemia Intermedia.

How is the family of a person with thalassemia affected?

Both types of thalassemia are inherited in the same manner. The disease is passed to children by parents who carry the mutated thalassemia gene. A child who inherits one mutated gene is a carrier, which is sometimes called “thalassemia trait.” Most carriers lead completely normal, healthy lives.

Is minor thalassemia life threatening?

What are the chances of getting thalassemia?

Most carriers lead completely normal, healthy lives. A child who inherits two thalassemia trait genes – one from each parent – will have the disease. A child of two carriers has a 25 percent chance of receiving two trait genes and developing the disease, and a 50 percent chance of being a thalassemia trait carrier.

How do you diagnose thalassemia?

The diagnosis of thalassemia is made through studies such as bone marrow examination, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and iron count. The CBC count and peripheral blood film examination results are usually sufficient to suspect the diagnosis.

Is thalassemia an autoimmune disease?

The thalassemias cause “intrinsic” anemia, meaning the anemia is due to a problem inside the red blood cells. Lupus is an autoimmune disease and causes “extrinsic” anemia, meaning lupus is acting on the red blood cells from the outside and causing them to be destroyed.

Does thalassemia cause low iron?

If the RDW is low (the cells are mostly the same size), then it’s probably thalassemia. If the RDW is high (the cells vary a lot in size), then it’s probably iron deficiency anemia.

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