D.T.S ( Donate To Save) Knowing Thalassemia Part-2

I hope the story of Rohan published in our previous article might have threw some light on what Thalassemia is all about & few basic statistics on the condition of Thalassemia in our country. In this series we are going to discuss on the Diagnosis & cause of Thalassemia.

Diagnosis:

1) Prenatal Stage:

With the advancement in medical science its very much possible to diagnose any deformity in the new born during the prenatal stage by conducting the simple genetic testing. If both the parents or any one of them are carrier then there is an increased risk of the Thalassemia in the new born. Hence its always advisable to take the help of genetic counselor to know the risk of passing on this disease to the kid especially when any one of the parent is a carrier.

2) Blood Test:

CBC (Complete Blood Count) measures the amount of hemoglobin and the different kinds of blood cells, such as red blood cells, in a sample of blood. People who have thalassemias have fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin than normal in their blood. People who have alpha or beta thalassemia trait may have red blood cells that are smaller than normal.

Hemoglobin tests measure the types of hemoglobin in a blood sample. People who have thalassemias have problems with the alpha or beta globin protein chains of hemoglobin.

3) Based on Severity:

Moderate and severe thalassemias usually are diagnosed in early childhood. This is because signs and symptoms, including severe anemia, often occur within the first 2 years of life.

People who have milder forms of thalassemia might be diagnosed after a routine blood test shows they have anemia. Doctors might suspect thalassemia if a person has anemia and belongs to certain ethnic group.

Causes of Thalassemia:

Genetic: Thalassemia is basically a genetic disorder which happens because of genetic mutation.  When both the parents are carrier of thalassemia there is an increased chance of Thalassemia to their offspring.  On the other hand if one of the parent is a carrier of Thalassemia then it's quite possible that the offspring might be having Thalassemia minor where the offspring  won't exhibit any major symptoms.

Ethnicity: According to the Center  for Disease Control (CDC), thalassemia is most common in people from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Turkey.

Contd......

Source: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/www.healthline.com