Are there any health problems with alpha thalassemia?
Alpha thalassemia trait normally does not cause any health problems. People with alpha thalassemia trait can have small red blood cells and a low red blood count (mild anemia). Alpha thalassemia should not be treated with iron.
What is Hb Bart cutoff percentage for alpha thalassemia?
The Hb Bart’s cutoff percentage used for classifying alpha-thalassemia types varied widely among programs ( Table 2 ), as did the means of reporting of results indicative of alpha-thalassemias.
What happens if you are a silent carrier of alpha thalassemia?
Alpha thalassemia silent carrier. One gene is missing or damaged, and the other 3 are normal. Blood tests are usually normal. Your red blood cells may be smaller than normal. Being a silent carrier means you don’t have signs of the disease, but you can pass the damaged gene on to your child.
Are there any NBS programs that report alpha thalassemia?
A 2016 survey of NBS programs found that although most programs report at least one form of suspected alpha-thalassemia, the methodologies, thresholds used, forms of disease reported, and processes for reporting vary widely. What are the implications for public health practice?
Are there any other names for beta thalassemia?
Sometimes, thalassemias have other names, like Constant Spring, Cooley’s Anemia, or hemoglobin Bart hydrops fetalis. These names are specific to certain thalassemias – for instance, Cooley’s Anemia is the same thing as beta thalassemia major. How do I know if I have thalassemia?
Are there any cures or cures for thalassemia?
Scientists are working to develop a gene therapy that may offer a cure for thalassemia. Such a treatment might involve inserting a normal beta globin gene (the gene that is abnormal in this disease) into the patient’s stem cells, the immature bone marrow cells that are the precursors of all other cells in the blood.
Where can I find more information on thalassemia?
The National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) website has an information page on this topic. NHGRI is part of the National Institutes of Health and supports research on the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health and disease. The Merck Manual for health care professionals provides information on Thalassemia.
