User:Mr. Ibrahem/Thalassemia
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production.[6] Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe.[1] Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin).[1] Anemia can result in feeling tired and pale skin.[1] There may also be bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, and dark urine.[1] Slow growth may occur in children.[1]
Thalassemia | |
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Other names | Thalassaemia, Mediterranean anemia |
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Peripheral blood film from a person with Delta Beta thalassemia | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Hematology |
Symptoms | Feeling tired, pale skin, enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, dark urine[1] |
Diagnostic method | Blood tests, genetic tests[2] |
Treatment | Blood transfusions, iron chelation, folic acid[3] |
Frequency | 280 million (2015)[4] |
Deaths | 16,800 (2015)[5] |
Thalassemias are genetic disorders inherited from a person's parents.[7] There are two main types, alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia.[6] The severity of alpha and beta thalassemia depends on how many of the four genes for alpha globin or two genes for beta globin are missing.[7] Diagnosis is typically by blood tests including a complete blood count, special hemoglobin tests, and genetic tests.[2] Diagnosis may occur before birth through prenatal testing.[8]
Treatment depends on the type and severity.[3] Treatment for those with more severe disease often includes regular blood transfusions, iron chelation, and folic acid.[3] Iron chelation may be done with deferoxamine or deferasirox.[3] Occasionally, a bone marrow transplant may be an option.[3] Complications may include iron overload from the transfusions with resulting heart or liver disease, infections, and osteoporosis.[1] If the spleen becomes overly enlarged, surgical removal may be required.[1]
As of 2015, thalassemia occurs in about 280 million people, with about 439,000 having severe disease.[9] It is most common among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African descent.[6] Males and females have similar rates of disease.[10] It resulted in 16,800 deaths in 2015, down from 36,000 deaths in 1990.[5][11] Those who have minor degrees of thalassemia, similar to those with sickle-cell trait, have some protection against malaria, explaining why they are more common in regions of the world where malaria exists.[12]