Thalassemia is an inherited blood condition. It interferes with your body’s regular hemoglobin production. Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin. It makes it possible for your red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body, feeding the other cells.
Your body makes fewer healthy haemoglobin proteins, and your bone marrow makes fewer healthy red blood cells if you have thalassemia. Anaemia is a situation in which the number of red blood cells is reduced. Red blood cells are essential for carrying oxygen to your body’s tissues. A shortage of healthy red blood cells can deprive your body’s cells of the oxygen they require to produce energy and survive.
Signs and Symptoms
When you have thalassemia, your body produces fewer red blood cells, which can lead to anaemia, or low blood count. You may feel weak or exhausted when you have anaemia. You may also encounter:
- Lightheadedness
- Breathlessness
- Accelerated heartbeat
- Headache
- Leg cramps
- Having trouble focusing
- Skin lightening
Since severe anemia symptoms appear early in life, People with moderate and severe forms of thalassemia typically learn about their condition in childhood. Individuals with milder types of thalassemia might only become aware of their condition when they experience anaemia symptoms. Perhaps when a doctor discovers anaemia during a normal blood test or any other test.
Risk Elements
Your risk of developing thalassemia is increased by the following factors:
- Thalassemia in the family: Due to genetic alterations in hemoglobin genes, the disorder is passed on from parents to children.
- A certain lineage: People of South Asian, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, or African ancestry are most likely to have thalassemia.
Types of Thalassemia
There are four subtypes of thalassemia in addition to the three primary types:
- The subtle major and intermediate beta thalassemia.
- Hemoglobin H and hydrops fetalis are subtypes of Alpha thalassemia
- Thalassemia minor
- The severity and symptoms of each of these categories and subtypes differ. Additionally, the beginning may differ slightly.
Diagnosis
One way to diagnose thalassemia is by:
Blood Test: A hemoglobin test determines the types of hemoglobin present in genetic testing, while a comprehensive blood test counts the quantity of hemoglobin and the various blood cell types in a blood sample.
Treatment
- Frequent blood transfusions and folate supplements are common treatments for thalassemia major.
- You shouldn’t use iron supplements if you get blood transfusions. By doing this, the body may accumulate too much iron, which could be detrimental.
- Chelation Therapy is necessary for those who undergo a lot of blood transfusions. The purpose of this is to get rid of extra iron from the body.
- Some patients, particularly youngsters, may benefit from a bone marrow transplant as a treatment for the illness.
The Thalassemia Diet
For the majority of people, including those with Thalassemia, a low-fat plant-based diet is the healthiest option. However, if you are blood iron levels are already high, you might need to limit foods high in iron. You might need to cut back on meat and fish because they are high in iron.
You might also think about staying away from breads, drinks, and cereals that have been fortified. They also have a lot of iron.
Deficiency in folic acid (folate) can result from Thalassemia. This vitamin B, which is naturally present in foods like legumes and dark leafy greens, is crucial for preventing the negative consequences of elevated iron levels and safeguarding red blood cells. Your doctor could advise taking a 1mg supplement every day if you are diet isn’t providing enough folic acid.
Although there isn’t a Single diet that can treat thalassemia, eating the correct foods can help. Any dietary adjustments should be discussed in advance with your doctor.