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## Lifestyle Tips for Thalassemia - Avoid excessive iron - Eat a healthy diet - Avoid infections - Get annual flu shots & Hepatitis B vaccines ## Thalassemia ### What is Thalassemia? Thalassemia is a blood disorder that impacts the production of hemoglobin, the protein which red blood cells use t...

## Lifestyle Tips for Thalassemia - Avoid excessive iron - Eat a healthy diet - Avoid infections - Get annual flu shots & Hepatitis B vaccines ## Thalassemia ### What is Thalassemia? Thalassemia is a blood disorder that impacts the production of hemoglobin, the protein which red blood cells use to carry oxygen. The severity of the disease is dependent on the amount of hemoglobin produced. ### Types of Thalassemia These are the types of thalassemia as displayed in the picture: - **Healthy**: 2 working HBB genes. Round, flexible red blood cells carry oxygen. - **Sickle Cell**: 2 altered HBB genes. Red blood cells carry oxygen, but fibers make them stiff and misshapen. - **Beta-thalassemia**: 1 or 2 altered HBB genes. Less hemoglobin is made resulting in too few red blood cells. - **Oxygen transport disorder**: 1 altered HBB gene. Red blood cells deliver less oxygen. ### World Thalassemia Day World Thalassemia Day is on 8th May. ## Other Defects in the Beta-Cluster Gene - Delta Beta Thalassemia - Hemoglobin Lepore - Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin (HPFH) ### Delta Beta Thalassemia - Group of disorders due either to a gene deletion that removes or inactivates only delta and beta genes so that only alpha and gamma chains are produced. - Homozygous cases have 100% Hb F while heterozygous cases have Hb F between 5 and 20%. - Clinically similar to beta thalassemia minor when heterozygous and betathalassemia intermedia when homozygous. ## Hemoglobin Lepore - A rare class of thalassemia, caused by a gene deletion in a beta locus on the chromosome - Hemoglobin Lepore is characterized by a silent carrier, alpha thalassemia, hemoglobinopathy, and Bart's hydrops fetalis.