Thalassemias

Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by abnormal hemoglobin production

Thalassemia are genetic disorders inherited from a person's parents.

There are two main types,Alpha Thalassemia and Beta Thalassemia

The severity of alpha and beta thalassemia depends on how many of the four genes for Alpha Globin  or two genes for Beta Globin are missing.

Diagnosis is typically by blood tests including a complete blood count, special hemoglobin tests, and genetic tests

 Diagnosis may occur before birth through prenatal testing

Thalassemia is most common among people of Italian, Greek,Middle Eastern,South Asian and African descent

 Males and females have similar rates of disease

It resulted in 16,800 deaths in 2015, down from 36,000 deaths in 1990

People with thalassemia can get an overload of iron in their bodies, either from the disease itself or from frequent blood transfusion

People with thalassemia have an increased risk of infection

Thalassemia can make the bone marrow expand, which causes bones to widen. This can result in abnormal bone structure, especially in the face and skull.