Types of Thalassemia

Types of Thalassemia :

Alpha Thalassemia :

If the disorder is in Alpha genes, this leads to Alpha Thalassemia Disorder.

Beta Thalassemia :

If the disorder is in Beta genes, this leads to Beta Thalassemia Disorder.

Types of Beta Thalassemia :

Beta Thalassemia Minor :

Where the person inherits the disease characteristic from one of the parent and those persons suffer from very mid anemia and they have no disease symptoms.

Beta Thalassemia Major :

The infected person inherits from his parent the two genes responsible for Thalassemia and the Hemoglobin (A) never be formed or is formed in little quantity and the patient suffers from sever eanemia.

Symptoms of Thalassemia Disorder :

In case of developing Beta Thalassemia Major,the disorder shall be in the two genes responsible for producing Beta Globin.This results in acquiring the disorder in producing the Hemoglobin which leads to its gradual decrease and in turn the child tends to start yellowing. In this case, the child suffers from severe anemia the symptoms of which may start after the first months of his/herbirth and this will require regular blood transfusions.

Beta Thalassemia Major Treatment :

During the last four decades, the medical observations and researches proved that Thalassemia Major is a case that can be treated by red blood cells as well as using medicines to get rid of excess iron in the patient’s body. This method of treatment proved to be clearly effective where the Thalassemia patients can live normal and a long life. Therefor econcentrated red blood cells are to be transfused every 3-4 weeks for lifetime.
Due to red blood cells breaking up, the iron rate in the body increases, thus,the excess iron subsides in the important body systems such as the heart, liver and glands. This causes serious complications and damages such as disorder in the functions of the heart,liver, diabetes and delay in growth.

There are two ways to get rid of the excess iron in the body:
The First : Use “Desferal” medicine which is given to the patient by hypodermic injection for a period of (10-12) hours daily and sometimes it reaches (24) hours daily with the help of a small pump for lifetime.

The Second : Oral medicines are also used to get rid of the excess iron, such as: “ExJade” tablets that can be dissolved in water ororange juice, used once aday. The oral tablets somewhat eases the suffering of Thalassemia patients.

Recently, “Jadenu” medicine was introduced which is swallowed directly with no dissolving it in any liquid,used once a day and “Defriprone” tablets which is also taken orally.
Some of these oral tablets are used daily in combination with the Desferal injections for few days weekly.