Thalassemia a medical condition in which the body produced an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is usually responsible for the transportation of oxygen molecule throughout the body. Thalassemia is an inherited disorder, which means one of the parents of the patient must be a carrier of the disease.
How many types of thalassemia are there?
Symptoms
- Darker urine
- Bone deformities (especially in the face)
- Delayed development
- Excessive tiredness
- Paleness of the skin.
How do you rule out thalassemia?
- After noticing some of the above symptoms, the patient will consult the physician following which he will be referred for a blood test.
- The blood will be tested for anemia and abnormal hemoglobin.
- The lab technician will also analyze the blood sample under the microscope to look for any abnormality in the blood cells. The abnormalities may include:
- Reduced size of red blood cells.
- Paleness in the red blood cells.
- Change in the shape of red blood cells.
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The lab test in combination with the physical examination will help in diagnosing thalassemia.
What is the best treatment for thalassemia?
- Blood transfusions
- Medications and supplements
- Bone marrow transplant.
Blood transfusion
In severe cases of thalassemia, patients are advised to receive blood transfusions. Depending upon the severity of their condition, they may need it once a month or after a few weeks. After several sessions of blood transfusion, the excess of iron can be accumulated in the body that causes damage to vital organs of the body like heart, lungs, etc
Medications and supplements
A medication called ‘erythropoietin’ is often advised to the patients, that help to increase the production of red blood cells. To get rid of the excess iron in the body, accumulated due to blood transfusion over time, patients often need to take certain medications.
Bone marrow transplant
This form of treatment is used only in very severe cases. This is the only curative treatment for thalassemia. Before doing the bone marrow transplant, the patient is high-dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy to destroy the diseased bone marrow cells. After doing all the required blood tests, stem cells from a compatible donor (preferably a sibling) are infused. The stem cells have the potential to do several multiple divisions to develop into different types of cells.
Procedure
- The stem cells are taken from the donor and isolated into a disinfected atmosphere.
- The concentrated form of the stem cells is injected in the targetted area in the patient’s body.
- These cells then are made to divide and develop into a specific type of cells that are required.
* It takes 1-2 months for the patient to completely recover after the transplant.
The success rate of stem cells
The bone marrow transplant is reported to render about 95 percent of the overall survival rate. This is because these stem cells are able to adapt the characteristics of the resident cells of the area where they are administered. This helps in resuming the body functions that had been hampered by the disease. The bone marrow transplant is able to completely reverse the condition of thalassemia in favorable cases. The effectiveness of the treatment increases with an early start of the treatment. There is a high success rate, also because of the availability of the best bone marrow transplant doctors in India.
In addition to this, the bone marrow transplant cost in India is also reasonable.
Anshu Timsina was diagnosed with Thalassemia minor at the age of two. Fortunately, soon enough she received the accurate treatment in India with the help of a case manager at Medanta hospital, Gurgaon.