Thalassemia is a fatal disease which has no cure, know its symptoms and prevention Lifestyle Desk: This is a blood disease which children get genetically from their parents. Due to this, the process of hemoglobin formation in the body gets disturbed and blood formation stops. This disease starts getting identified from the age of three months. In this disease, there is a huge deficiency in the blood of the child. To save the life of the child, he has to be given blood transfusion repeatedly. Thalassemia is of two types: 1 - Major Thalassemia: Children who have thalassemia in the genes of both the parents suffer from this disease. Major Thalassemia can be quite fatal. If the chromosomes of both the parents get damaged, then it becomes Major Thalassemia. In this condition, blood formation in the body stops only after 6 months of the child's birth and he needs to be given blood transfusion repeatedly. 2 - Minor Thalassemia: The child of one of the parents suffering from thalassemia is not likely to have major thalassemia. This disease can be identified after the child is 3 months old. In this, there is a rapid loss of blood in the body. In some children, these symptoms can develop after the first two years. Actually, it depends on the severity of thalassemia. The bone marrow of the thalassemia affected patient starts expanding in an attempt to compensate for the lack of blood. Due to this, the bones of the head and face become thick and wide and the upper teeth come out. At the same time, the liver and spleen become very large in size. Symptoms of Thalassemia: – Dry face – Being sick constantly – Not gaining weight – Irritability – Loss of appetite – Delay in normal development Many similar symptoms are seen in children suffering from thalassemia.
As the age of the child increases, the need for more and more blood increases. Due to the lack of external blood transfusion and medicines, these children die at the age of 12-14 years. If the treatment is done properly, there is a hope of living for 25 years or more. To prevent this:
- Give medicines on time and get blood transfusion. - Get it checked during pregnancy itself. - Nowadays, the blood of the boy and the girl is tested before marriage. - Try to maintain the hemoglobin of the patient at 11 or 12. There is currently no cure for this disease. Hemoglobin is made up of two types of proteins - alpha globin and beta globin. Thalassemia occurs due to a defect in the process of globin formation in these proteins, due to which red blood cells are destroyed rapidly. Due to severe blood deficiency, blood has to be transfused repeatedly in the body of the patient. Due to lack of blood, hemoglobin is not formed and due to repeated blood transfusion, excess iron starts accumulating in the patient's body, which reaches the heart, liver and lungs and is fatal. Research: According to the World Health Organization, every year seven to ten thousand children suffering from thalassemia are born in India. This number is around 1500 in Delhi and the National Capital Region alone. 3.4 percent of India's total population suffers from thalassemia.
