In the same way that traits for hair color and body structure are passed down from parents to children, thalassemia traits are passed from parents to children. If you have anemia and you also have family members from these areas, your doctor might test your blood further to find out if you have thalassemia. If you think you may have thalassemia, or if your parents have it, you should see a doctor. If you have it, your body has fewer red blood cells and less hemoglobin than it should. The more severe the thalassemia, the less hemoglobin the body has, and … Alpha thalassemia means you don't make enough of the alpha hemoglobin protein chain to make your hemoglobin. Cooley’s Anemia Foundation: “A Guide to Living with Thalassemia.”, Thalassemia Support Foundation: “About Thalassemia.”, Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation: “Thalassemia: (Cooley’s Anemia).”. Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-mee-uh) is a blood disorder that is inherited. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. Having a thalassemia trait means that you may not have any symptoms, but you might pass that trait on to your children and increase their risk for having thalassemia. Thalassemia is an inherited blood condition. But if you have a more severe form of the disorder, you may need regular blood transfusions. Saving Lives, Protecting People, https://www.nsgc.org/page/find-a-genetic-counselor, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Study Highlights Opportunity to Improve Knowledge of Thalassemia, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Traits for thalassemia are more common in people from Mediterranean countries, like Greece and Turkey, and in people from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. If you have two copies, you’ll have more moderate to severe beta thalassemia. Someone with a major form will need medical treatment. You have it from birth. The type of thalassemia that a person has depends on how many and what type of traits for thalassemia a person has inherited, or received from their parents. They may not need treatment. In alpha thalassemia… To make hemoglobin, you need two proteins, alpha and beta. This disease is caused by the weakening and destruction of red blood cells.This is caused by … Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Low alpha is called alpha thalassemia. With beta thalassemia, you don't make enough of the beta. It’s more common in people from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Mediterranean countries like Greece or Turkey. If your doctor suspects your child has thalassemia, he or she may confirm a diagnosis using blood tests.If your child has thalassemia, blood tests may reveal: 1. If either the alpha or beta part is not made, there aren’t enough building blocks to make normal amounts of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin (Hb or Hgb) is a substance … Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Non-transfused thalassemia intermedia patients are encouraged to avoid high-iron and iron-supplemented foods, and encouraged to drink tea with meals, which decreases iron absorption. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts, Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, ATR-X Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Amniocentesis tests the fluid around an unborn. Thalassemia is an inherited (i.e., passed from parents to children through genes) blood disorder caused when the body doesn’t make enough of a protein called hemoglobin, an important part of … Thousands of infants with beta thalassemia are born each year. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Hemoglobin is located within your red … Babies with four abnormal copies of the alpha gene are often stillborn, or don’t survive long after birth. A person who has thalassemia trait may not have any symptoms at all or may have only mild anemia, while a person with thalassemia major may have severe symptoms and may need regular blood transfusions. Thalassemia Definition Thalassemia describes a group of inherited disorders characterized by reduced or absent amounts of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein inside the red blood cells. People who have thalassemia produce fewer healthy hemoglobin proteins, and their bone … Diagnosis is confirmed by a hemoglobin profile (also called electrophoresis). If you have it, your body has fewer red blood cells and less hemoglobin than it should. A person with a trait or minor form may not have symptoms or only mild ones. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that reduces the production of functional hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen). Hemoglobin A (the major hemoglobin in adults) contains two alpha globin chains and two beta globin chains. You get one from each of your parents. In some people, symptoms show up at birth. If you have it and you want to have children, you might want to talk with a genetics counselor. Thalassemia is an inherited (i.e., passed from parents to children through genes) blood disorder caused when the body doesn’t make enough of a protein called hemoglobin, an important part of red blood cells. If you have thalassemia, follow these habits to stay well: With a mild case, you may feel tired and not need treatment. Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that can be passed from parents to their children and affect the amount and type of hemoglobin the body produces. Alpha-thalassemia is a blood disorder that reduces the body's production of hemoglobin. There are also terms for how serious the thalassemia is. Patients with thalassemia minor are sometimes said to have “thalassemia trait,” and they are often non-symptomatic. For instance, if a person receives a beta thalassemia trait from his father and another from his mother, he will have beta thalassemia major. They will examine you and will ask questions. Genetic testing is used to make a diagnosis of alpha thalassemia. If you do have thalassemia, you should see a blood expert known as a hematologist. The CBC will reveal a mild to moderate anemia with very small red blood cells. In beta thalassemia intermedia and trait this testing reveals elevati… In others, it can take a couple of years to see anything. People who have family members from certain parts of the world have a higher risk for having thalassemia. If you have one abnormal copy of the beta gene, you’ll have mild beta thalassemia. For others, it’s more severe. But there’s a remote chance that you could get an infection from a blood transfusion. Because thalassemias are inherited, the condition sometimes runs in families. Although someone … You have two genes that are needed to make the beta protein. Thalassemia is a medical condition in which the body is unable to make enough hemoglobin which ultimately results in anemia. New treatments mean that people with thalassemia are now living longer with fewer symptoms. Oxygen is a sort of food that cells use to function. Smaller than expected red blood cells 3. These names are specific to certain thalassemias – for instance, Cooley’s Anemia is the same thing as beta thalassemia major. Beta thalassemia trait is also known as beta thalassemia minor. Thalassaemia (or thalassemia) is a genetic disorder of the blood which originated in the Mediterranean region.. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: “What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Thalassemias? However, these disorders can be detected during prenatal tests before birth. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Hemoglobin is the substance in your red blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen. Thalassemia cannot be prevented since it is a genetically inherited disorder. Because of this, people with this condition may have anemia, which makes you feel tired. … You can’t prevent thalassemia, since it’s in your genes. It happens when you inherit mutated genes from your parents that change your hemoglobin. If you have any of these, see your doctor. Severe anemia can damage organs and lead to death. The other is a hemoglobin electrophoresis test. Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all cells in the body, is made of two different parts, called alpha and beta. Cooley’s Anemia Foundation: “Clinical Trials.”, CDC: “Thalassemia,” “What is Thalassemia?”, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center: “Thalassemia.”. There are four genes in the body which are … Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Thalassemia is genetic. When thalassemia is called “alpha” or “beta,” this refers to the part of hemoglobin that isn’t being made. Some people will have only mild symptoms. If you have more abnormal copies, you’ll have more serious alpha thalassemia. If you have one abnormal copy of an alpha gene, you won’t have thalassemia but you’ll carry it. There may also be bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, and dark urine. When the words “trait,” “minor,” “intermedia,” or “major” are used, these words describe how severe the thalassemia is. If a doctor suspects thalassemia, you’ll take blood tests. You can’t catch thalassemia the way you catch a cold or the flu. Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that prevent your body from producing the amount of hemoglobin it needs. It's made up of alpha globin and beta globin.The body contains more red blood cells than any other type of cell, and each has a life span of about 4 months. The two types are alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia. If one parent has beta thalassemia trait and the other parent has normal hemoglobin A, there is a 50 percent (1 in 2) chance with each pregnancy of having a child with beta thalassemia … If a person received an alpha thalassemia trait from her mother and the normal alpha parts from her father, she would have alpha thalassemia trait (also called alpha thalassemia minor). Thalassemia is a complex group of diseases that are relatively rare in the United States but common in Mediterranean regions and South and Southeast Asia. You may also want to look into joining a support group, so you can connect with other people who have the condition. Donated blood in the U.S. is very safe. Join the Public Health Webinar Series on Blood Disorders, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How is thalassemia treated? Severe thalassemia can lead to heart failure and an early death. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin). All rights reserved. Slow growth may occur in children. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that … Some people with moderate to severe thalassemia have other health problems. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all the cells of the body. If both of your parents carry thalassemia, you might get it. Hemoglobin is the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen. Anemia can result in feeling tired and pale skin. This is a condition called anemia. This means it is passed down from one or both parents through their genes. 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