Thalassaemia

What is it?

Thalassaemia is a blood disorder in which there is an abnormal amount of haemoglobin (the substance that carries oxygen in the blood) in the red blood cells. This makes the red blood cells die off more quickly than normal, which causes anaemia. There are several different forms of thalassaemia and the severity of the anaemia varies with each form, from mild to extremely severe.

Thalassaemia is found most commonly in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian origin.

What causes it?

Thalassemia is an inherited genetic condition, which your baby will only have if he inherits the gene from both you and his other parent.

It can be detected antenatally by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.

Looking after a child with thalassaemia

If your child has a form of thalassaemia which has mild effects, he’s unlikely to need much in the way of special care. A severe form needs to be treated, though, or it will cause complications that may be fatal. The treatment is to have regular blood transfusions (about once a month), which have to be continued throughout the person’s life. These transfusions have the side effect of causing iron to build up in the body, which can cause serious problems, so he’ll also need to have daily doses of a drug to prevent this from happening.

With treatment, a child with thalassaemia can lead a relatively normal life, apart from the need for frequent visits to hospital. However, even with treatment, the life expectancy of someone with the severe form of the condition may be only 20-30 years.

You will find more information about thalassaemia on the UK Thalassaemia Society site, which has links to other relevant sites.