Definition
Thalassemia is a form of hereditary anaemia. The child with this blood disorder is unable
to make enough amounts of the desired haemoglobin. The red blood cells in the patients
blood are smaller and each red blood cell contains less haemoglobin than a normal red
blood cell.
Thalassemia is genetic disorder of the blood and is commonly seen in sindhis, kutchis,
bohris, marwaris and Punjabi.
Thalassemia is of 2 types :
1. Thalassemia major
2. Thalassemia minor
Thalassemia Minor
The children and adults of Thalassemia Minor (Trait) are not ill and may not know that
they have a disorder until a blood examination is done, which shows anaemia. In such
children, one of the parents only is a carrier of the gene of Thalassemia Minor. The child
looks pale and gets fatigued very easily and sometimes there are spells of giddiness. In
such cases, iron tablets are not advised, as there is already excess of iron in the body,
which though present does not help in the formation of the blood. However, another drug
like folic acid is to be given, which helps in the synthesis of blood.
The chances of having a Thalassemia minor child is as follows, if one of the parent is a
carrier
Thalassemia Major
Thalassemia Major can occur in a child, when both the parents are thalassemia minor and
hence are carriers of the gene. Following are the chances of Thalassemia Major occurring
in the child.
So there is a likelihood of one in four children suffering from thalassemia major.
A thalassemia major child, when born appears normal, but becomes anaemic, sluggish and
irritable between the age of 3 months to 2 years. Inspite of giving drugs to improve the
haemoglobin, it does not improve. The only treatment in these cases is giving blood
transfusion almost every month throughout the life. The child also requires daily
administration of a drug to remove the excessive iron from the body. The ultimate
treatment is bone marrow transplant, which is performed with an effort to provide a
permanent cure and still it is very costly and very risky.
The prognosis of a thalassemia major child is very poor and the child can barely live
beyond the teens.
Prevention
Since thalassemia major is a life threatening disease, it is best to prevent it. It is
recommended that when there is a family history of thalassemia on the side of thalassemia
on the side of either parent then the parents have to get themselves tested before the
woman can get pregnant. Also, it is very necessary that the pregnant women, undergo tests
for detection of this disease between 9 to 18 weeks of pregnancy. If the child is found to
be suffering from thalassemia major, then the best option is to abort the child.
It is in the best interest of the prospective bride and groom, not only to match the
horoscopes but also the blood reports of both of them.
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