Some people are "silent carriers" of thalassemia and do not have any symptoms. Other carriers (also known as thalassemia trait) have mild anemia, but they usually do not need treatment. However, carriers can pass thalassemia genes on to their children.
Common Symptoms of Thalassemia
The symptoms of thalassemia will depend on the type and severity of the disease. Symptoms generally occur when oxygen does not get to various parts of the body due to low hemoglobin and a shortage of red blood cells in the blood (anemia).
Doctors typically diagnose thalassemia after conducting blood tests, including a complete blood count (CBC) and special hemoglobin studies.
A CBC provides information about the amount of hemoglobin in the blood and the different kinds of blood cells in the blood. People with thalassemia have less hemoglobin than normal and fewer red blood cells than normal in their blood. Carriers of the thalassemia trait may have slightly fewer red blood cells than normal in their blood.
Hemoglobin studies measure the types of hemoglobin in a blood sample.
Previous
Add this article to your Favorites
Email this article
Print