Table of Contents
What is the main cause of thalassemia?
Thalassemia is caused by mutations in the DNA of cells that make hemoglobin — the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. The mutations associated with thalassemia are passed from parents to children.
What are the 4 types of thalassemia?
Alpha thalassemia occurs when some or all of the 4 genes that make hemoglobin (the alpha-globin genes) are missing or damaged….There are 4 types of alpha thalassemia:
- Alpha thalassemia silent carrier.
- Alpha thalassemia carrier.
- Hemoglobin H disease.
- Alpha thalassemia major.
Can thalassemia patients get pregnant?
Can You Get Pregnant With Beta Thalassemia? Yes, but you may need help getting pregnant. Often, women with beta thalassemia will need to use medications to help them ovulate in order to become pregnant. Many health problems caused by beta thalassemia have to do with too much iron in your body.
Can thalassemia lead to death?
Severe thalassemia can cause early death (between ages 20 and 30) due to heart failure. Getting regular blood transfusions and therapy to remove iron from the body helps improve the outcome. Less severe forms of thalassemia often do not shorten lifespan.
Who is at risk of thalassemia?
Certain ethnic groups are at greater risk: Alpha thalassemia most often affects people who are of Southeast Asian, Indian, Chinese, or Filipino descent. Beta thalassemia most often affects people who are of Mediterranean (Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern), Asian, or African descent.
What is the different between thalassemia and leukemia?
As nouns the difference between leukemia and thalassemia is that leukemia is leukemia (cancer of blood forming tissue) while thalassemia is (medicine) any of a group of inherited disorders in which the amount of hemoglobin in the blood is reduced.
What are the effects of thalassemia?
Various long term effects due to thalassemia involve severe anemia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, bone deformation, increased risk of fracture, iron toxicity and organ failure.
What is the difference between thalassemia minor and major?
Thalassemia minor is a mild form of the disease in which the patient inherits only one mutated gene and act as a carrier. Thalassemia major is a severe form of the disease that can cause serious illness. Thalassemia is a group of genetic blood disorders that is characterized by destruction of red blood cells and hemoglobin higher than normal.
Is thalassemia the same as sickle cell anemia?
Thalassemia is not same as sickle cell anemia disease. They both are different, in sickle cell anemia, the shape of the RBCs or the red blood corpuscles are sickle shaped, which are unable to carry sufficient amount of oxygen to the other body cells, whereas in case of Thalassemia there is lack…