Thalassemia spreads around the world, but more so in some countries, such as Mediterranean countries. It is also known as the Mediterranean anemia, a disease known since ancient times in this region. This lesion was identified by Dr. Cooley in 1925, when patients with severe anemia were diagnosed, a range of symptoms of bone malformations and death The injured in the end.
Thalassemia is a hereditary disease that affects the manufacture of blood. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is unable to function. This causes chronic hereditary anemia, which affects children in their early stages, as a result of receiving two mutant genes, one from the father and the other from the mother. Thalassemia is divided into the most important types, thalassemia alpha and thalassemia beta, depending on the location of the defect, if in the gene responsible for manufacturing the alpha protein chain in hemoglobin or beta hemoglobin, respectively. It is known that there are several hundred genetic mutations causing the disease. The presence of four genes responsible for the manufacture of the alpha chain requires the presence of three of these genes, or of all four genes, for the emergence of symptoms. There are also other types of thalassemia such as delta type .
Thalassemia is transmitted by heredity from parents to children . If a parent is pregnant or infected, it may be transmitted to some children in a simple form (ie they become sick). If, however, both parents have the disease or are infected, there is a 25% chance that a child with the disease will be born in severe form.
As a result, infected persons are divided into two parts:
A person in which the person is ill and does not show symptoms, or may show symptoms of anemia in a simple manner, and be able to transmit the disease to his children.
The type in which the person is infected with the disease, and shows clear symptoms of the disease since childhood.
Thalassemia is a hereditary disease that affects the manufacture of blood. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells is unable to function. This causes chronic hereditary anemia, which affects children in their early stages, as a result of receiving two mutant genes, one from the father and the other from the mother. Thalassemia is divided into the most important types, thalassemia alpha and thalassemia beta, depending on the location of the defect, if in the gene responsible for manufacturing the alpha protein chain in hemoglobin or beta hemoglobin, respectively. It is known that there are several hundred genetic mutations causing the disease. The presence of four genes responsible for the manufacture of the alpha chain requires the presence of three of these genes, or of all four genes, for the emergence of symptoms. There are also other types of thalassemia such as delta type .
Thalassemia is transmitted by heredity from parents to children . If a parent is pregnant or infected, it may be transmitted to some children in a simple form (ie they become sick). If, however, both parents have the disease or are infected, there is a 25% chance that a child with the disease will be born in severe form.
As a result, infected persons are divided into two parts:
A person in which the person is ill and does not show symptoms, or may show symptoms of anemia in a simple manner, and be able to transmit the disease to his children.
The type in which the person is infected with the disease, and shows clear symptoms of the disease since childhood.