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- Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that can cause mild to severe anemia.
- Thalassemia involves problems with the production of hemoglobin in red blood cells. As a result, a person with thalassemia doesn't have enough hemoglobin or red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body (anemia).
- There are two main types of thalassemia: alpha and beta thalassemia. Alpha thalassemia occurs when there is a problem with the alpha globin chain that is part of hemoglobin. Beta thalassemia occurs when there is a problem with the beta globin chain.
- There are mild, moderate, and severe forms of thalassemia. Severe beta thalassemia is often called Cooley's anemia.
- The most common severe form of thalassemia seen in the U.S. is beta thalassemia major, or Cooley's anemia, and mainly affects people from Mediterranean countries and Asia.
- Some people are "silent carriers" with no symptoms. Other carriers have mild anemia but usually need no treatment. Carriers can pass thalassemia genes on to their children.
- Severe thalassemia is treated with frequent blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy to remove excess iron that builds up in the body from the transfusions.
- Bone marrow or stem cell transplants have cured thalassemia in some children, but this treatment is not available for most people with thalassemia.
- Researchers are studying new treatments, including ways to cure thalassemia through stem cell and gene therapies.
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