Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production. Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin).
What type of disorder is thalassemia?
Overview. Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-me-uh) is an inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen. Thalassemia can cause anemia, leaving you fatigued. If you have mild thalassemia, you might not need treatment.
Is thalassemia a clotting disorder?
People with beta thalassemia are at an increased risk of developing abnormal blood clots. Beta thalassemia is classified into two types depending on the severity of symptoms: thalassemia major (also known as Cooley’s anemia) and thalassemia intermedia. Of the two types, thalassemia major is more severe.
Does thalassemia make you bleed?
Hypersplenism can contribute to anemia in individuals with beta thalassemia and cause low levels of white blood cells, increasing the risk of infection, and low levels of platelets, which can lead to prolonged bleeding. If untreated, additional complications can develop.
Is thalassemia a red blood cell disorder?
Thalassemia is a blood disorder passed down through families (inherited) in which the body makes an abnormal form or inadequate amount of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in large numbers of red blood cells being destroyed, which leads to anemia.
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.
Does thalassemia minor affect periods?
Puberty may be delayed or progress abnormally in teenagers with thalassemia, due to iron build up impairing the function of the pituitary gland. This may lead to complications such as: Absence of menstruation, known as amenorrhea.
What type of mutation is thalassemia?
Thalassemia is an inherited autosomal recessive disease resulting from mutations in the α- and β-globin gene clusters on chromosome 16 and chromosome 11, respectively. It is characterized by the absence or reduced synthesis of globin chains of hemoglobin and includes two main types, α- and β- thalassemia (1, 2).
Is beta thalassemia an autoimmune disorder?
It was generally assumed that the β-thalassemia heterozygotes do not bear significant medical risks except a mild microcytic anemia. Nonetheless, increasing number of reports associate β-thalassemia trait with autoimmune conditions, nephritis, diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia and asthma.
What is the difference between thalassemia and anemia?
Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells. Thalassemia is inherited, meaning that at least one of your parents must be a carrier of the disorder. It’s caused by either a genetic mutation or a deletion of certain key gene fragments.
What blood causes thalassemia?
Conclusions: On analysis, it was found that the most common blood group getting affected by the disease ß-thalassemia is O +ve with the same people having higher chances of family history of the same disease.
What is the life expectancy of someone 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 an immune disorder?
Because of this, people with thalassemia are said to be “immunocompromised,” which means that some of the body’s defenses against infection aren’t working. When you are immunocompromised, it is easier for you to get infections and you sometimes need extra protection, like flu shots and other vaccines.
Is thalassemia a chromosomal disorder?
In general, thalassemia is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner; however, the inheritance can be quite complex as multiple genes can influence the production of hemoglobin. Most people affected by beta thalassemia have mutations in both copies of the HBB gene in each cell .
Does thalassemia cause high red blood cell count?
Patient with thalassemia trait can have a high red blood cell count and mild or no anemia. Patients with iron deficiency can have a normal or low red cell count and generally get anemia as a later manifestation.
Why is RBC count high in thalassemia?
In beta-thalassemia major, anemia is severe, often with hemoglobin ≤ 6 g/dL (≤ 60 g/L). Red blood cell count is elevated relative to hemoglobin because the cells are very microcytic.