Everything you need to know about Thalassemia

Everything you need to know about Thalassemia

What is Thalessemia and how many types are there? And what can you do if you find you have Thalessemia? Let us discuss for what reasons a person has this kind of anemia or shortage of hemoglobin known as Thalassemia and what can be done about it.

Thalassemia is a type of anemia in which the body’s hemoglobin count gets reduced. A person suffering from Thalassemia is seen to be having a particular type of hemoglobin structure. If this gene is present in a person, then there are two possibilities. The first one is that a person may be having this gene but not carrying the disease, while in the second case, the gene may be present in a person, but he may not be a carrier of this disease. A person belonging to the first instance is known as a Thalassemia Minor, while one who belongs to the second one is referred to as a Thalassemia Major.

If a person undergoes a blood test and is diagnosed to be a Thalassemia minor, then it means that the person has this gene but is not troubled by it. But, if the person’s partner is also a Thalassemia Minor, then there is the possibility that their baby might be a Thalassemia Major. Let us first try to understand more about Thalassemia Major so that we can know all about this trait and what to do about it.

For parents of a child who is a Thalassemia Major, everything seems to be going smoothly. Then suddenly, when the baby is around three to six months old, it is found that it has high anemia and needs a blood transfusion every few weeks. The iron level becomes so high that it becomes toxic, and the blood has to be taken out and cleaned by chelation. The process is quite similar to the way it is done in dialysis. There is no cure for this disease except Stem cell therapy or cord blood banking, where the cells are taken for providing treatment. This process has been found to be successful in some patients. But still, it is not a hundred percent proven treatment of the disease.

What can be done to prevent this disease? The only way is that if the disease is diagnosed, then we can decide what is to be done about it. A pregnant woman is screened for Thalassemia within the first ten weeks of her pregnancy. If the Thalassemia features are not seen in her blood, then nothing further needs to be done. If this trait is seen, then her partner is also screened for Thalassemia. If he does not show them, then there is nothing to worry.

But on the other hand, if her partner is also a Thalassemia Minor, then there is a 25% possibility of the baby turning out to be a Thalassemia Major. There is even a 50% chance of the child being a Thalassemia Minor and not carrying the disease. There is also a 25% chance that the baby will be healthy and not display the traits at all.

This shows that parents who are Thalassemia Minors do not always necessarily bear a child who will carry this disease or be abnormal. There is a reliable prenatal test available through which it is possible to find out whether a woman will give birth to such an abnormal child. In the prenatal test, chorionic villus sampling is taken from the mother to a laboratory for testing. This testing will determine whether the baby that is due will have the Thalassemia trait or not. If the test results are positive, then the parents are informed and are given the option to consider whether they want to go ahead with the pregnancy or not. If the tests are negative, then the parents can continue with the pregnancy, and the mother will deliver a healthy baby. This is the highest plus point of prenatal testing.

Is there another solution to this? There is another solution to this problem, and that is to get yourself tested before marriage for Thalassemia Minor. If your test result is negative, you can ahead and get married. If your result is positive, then you need to get your partner also tested, and if the would-be partner tests negative, then there is no reason to worry. It would be advisable for every young person to undergo this test once, at least during pregnancy. There are many countries where such testing has been made compulsory, and there is even a nation where a marriage certificate will not be given if no such test is conducted. This shows the extent of awareness there is about this disease in foreign countries. Unfortunately, in India, numerous people are not aware of whether they have this disease at all and also do not know what to do if they have such a trait. The problem is that a person who is a Thalassemia minor will never come to know if he has the disease or not unless he or she has a child who has this trait.

It is, therefore, necessary for all of us to get tested for Thalassemia before marriage. If not before marriage, you need to get tested, at least, during pregnancy. This will help you to avoid any difficulties that may arise because of the disease.