By: Juan Pablo Ordoñez, Valeria Méndez, Thalassemia By: Juan Pablo Ordoñez, Valeria Méndez,

What is Thalassemia? Genetic disorder in which the body produces an unusual amount of hemoglobin There are several different types of thalassemia: Alpha Thalassemia Beta Thalassemia Thalassemia Intermediate Thalassemia minor

How is it inherited? The disease is inherited when both of the parents are carriers of this disorder. When only one parent has the disease the offspring develops thalassemia minor, but rarely shows symptoms.

What are the symptoms? Major Thalassemia Thalassemia Minor Anemia Usually the person will not show any physicall symptom, but they will develop smaller red blood cells. Fatigue Shortness of Breathing Yellow Skin Iron overload When the pacient is in treatment.

Treatments There is no safe cure. The most common treatment is blood transfusion, This will replace the lost red blood cells with new. It will give the patient a better quality and quantity of life. A sideffect of this treatment may be an iron overload, but it can be treated with special pills (iron chelators)

Other Facts 100,000 children are born with this defect every year (approximately) It is estimated that around 20-25 million people are carriers of this disease Europe and the Americas has a low risk 1/300 people are carriers 1/1000 are low risk And 1/30 are high risk

Bibliograohy Disease & Treatment « Thalassemia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.thalassemia.ca/disease-treatment/ Holm, G. (2012, July 17). Health Line. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/thalassemia#Overview1 Plus, M. (2014, February 24). Medline Plus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000587.htm