Abstract

AWARENESS ON THALASEMIA PREVENTION AND ITS TREATMENT IN COMMUNITY PRACTICE-A BRIEF REVIEW

P. Jyothshna* and A. Bharath Kumar

Abstract

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells. In alpha thalassaemia, having one faulty gene will cause little or no effect to a person. Thalassemia is a complex group of diseases that are relatively rare in the United States but common in Mediterranean regions and South and Southeast Asia. Two faulty genes are associated with mild anaemia. Thalassemias are genetic disorders inherited from a person's parents. There are two main types includes alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia. The severity of alpha and beta thalassemia depends on how many of the four genes for alpha globin or two genes for beta globin are missing. Diagnosis is typically by blood tests including a complete blood count, special hemoglobin tests, and genetic tests is required. It was Treated with regular blood transfusions, iron chelation, and folic acid and Iron chelation may be done with deferoxamine and establishing genetic counseling centers early detection and identification of carriers and marriage between both the carriers we can prevent the disease complications in the community.

Keywords: Red blood cells, Genetic disorders, Hemoglobin, Diseases.