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If you have thalassemia, your body has problems making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through your body. When your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body, you have anemia.
Thalassemia, a genetic disease, can be mild or severe. Some carriers of the gene have no symptoms. The most common severe form in the United States is a type called Cooley's anemia. It mainly affects people of Mediterranean or Asian ancestry. It usually appears during the first two years of life. Severe thalassemia is treated with blood transfusions and treatment to remove excess iron in the blood.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
'''Thalassemia''' (American English) (or '''Thalassaemia''' in British English) is an inherited blood diseases of the red blood cells, classified as a hemoglobinopathy. The genetic defect results in synthesis of an abnormal hemoglobin molecule. The blood cells are vulnerable to mechanical injury and die easily. To survive, many people with thalassaemia need blood transfusions at regular intervals. Being a carrier of the disease confers a degree of protection against malaria, and is quite common among people from Italy or Greece origin, since malaria was widespread in those countries at a time. In that respect it resembles another genetic disease, sickle-cell anemia. The thalassemias are classified according to which chain of the globin molecule is affected: in α thalassemia, the production of α globin is deficient, while in β thalassemia the production of β globin is defective. Thalassemia produces a deficiency of α or β globin, unlike sickle-cell anemia which produces a specific mutant form of β globin. Both α and β thalassemia are inherited in an autosome recessive gene fashion. Both parents must be carriers in order for a child to be affected. If both parents carry a hemoglobinopathy trait, there is a 25% chance with each pregnancy for an affected child. Genetic counseling and genetic testing is recommended for families that carry a thalassemia trait.
Iron Disorders Institute - Provides information about disorders of iron such as hemochromatosis, acquired iron overload , juvenile hemochromatosis , African siderosis , thalassemia , porphyria cutanea tarda , sideroblastic anemia, iron-deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease.
Thalassemia in Malaysia - Gives concise information about this genetic blood disorder disease in Malaysia and encourages affected parents to join the local support group.
Children's Hospital Oakland Thalassemia Center - A comprehensive information center for patients and doctors about thalassemia.
IMPACT Children Foundation - Creating awareness of Thalassemia in high-risk communities and funding medical research to find an effective cure and safe treatment of this illness. Includes disease information, links and contact details.
Sleeptight.com Thalassemia - Definition of the disorder and links.
Cooley's Anemia: Rochester Chapter - The Rochester Chapter of the Cooley's Anemia Foundation with information about Thalassemia and a Yahoo Support Group.
Berloni Foundation Against Thalassemia - Information about Italian foundation raising funds for a bone marrow transplantation centre which treats Thalassemic patients.
Cooley's Anemia Foundation - Non-profit organisation operational since 1954 giving a wide amount of information about thalassemia in the U.S.
Emirates Thalassemia Society - To assist and help patients suffering from Thalassemia.
Berloni Foundation - Resource against thalassemia based at Italy.