Saturday, October 23, 2010

What is thalassemia?

What is thalassemia?
http://www.thalassemia.org/
that should tell you everything you need to know!! if you need more info, feel free to message me!! :]
Cooley's Anemia
Thalassemia is the name of a group of genetic blood disorders. To understand how thalassemia affects the human body, you must first understand a little about how blood is made.
People whose hemoglobin does not produce enough alpha protein have alpha thalassemia. It is commonly found in Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, southern China, and occasionally the Mediterranean region. There are four types of alpha thalassemia that range from mild to severe in their effect on the body.
People whose hemoglobin does not produce enough beta protein have beta thalassemia. It is found in people of Mediterranean descent, such as Italians and Greeks, and is also found in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Africa, Southeast Asia and southern China.There are three types of beta thalassemia that also range from mild to severe in their effect on the body.
In addition to the alpha and beta thalassemias, there are other related disorders that occur when the gene for alpha or beta thalassemia combines with an abnormal or mutant gene.
The most common treatment for all major forms of thalassemia is red blood cell transfusions. These transfusions are necessary to provide the patient with a temporary supply of healthy red blood cells with normal hemoglobin capable of carrying the oxygen that the patient's body needs.
Also iron builds up in the system and therapies must be followed to eliminate the excess iron or consequences are fatal.
Thalassemia is a recessive trait inherited disease of the red blood cells.

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