Thalassemia is a genetic disorder that involves abnormal haemoglobin formation. The two main categories of thalassemia are alpha and beta thalassemia that are then divided into further subcategories. While some mild forms of thalassemia might even go unnoticed and only cause mild anaemia and iron deficiency problems in patients, other more severe forms of thalassemia can even result in death. I...

BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is the most common hereditary disease in the world. Thalassemic erythrocytes are exposed to higher oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of beta-carotene and vitamin E on erythrocytes lipid peroxidation in beta-thalassemia patients. METHODS: A prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of beta-...

To determine whether beta-thalassemia can be detected in the fetus, blood was obtained from abortuses of normal mothers and of mothers with beta-thalassemia trait. The red cells were incubated with radioactive leucine and the globin chains were analyzed by radiochromatography. Two independent methods were utilized to correct the results for contamination by maternal radioactive beta-chain, and ...

Increased HbA2 is a characteristic finding in minor beta thalassemia. Minor β-thalassemia is a heterozygote form of β-thalassemia that carries thalassemia genes but does not cause thalassemia disease. Diagnosis of carriers is done by CBC, RBC Index, and HbA2 test. Very few cases of people with minorthalassemia have a normal HbA2. According to the results of this pilot study it seams that percen...

OBJECTIVE Cardiac complications are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in beta-thalassemia major. The aim of the study was to evaluate right (RV) and left (LV) ventricular systolic and diastolic functions using myocardial performance index in young, asymptomatic children suffering from thalassemia major, for early detection of cardiac function impairment, preventing further cardiac dama...

Beta-thalassemia is one of the most prevalent autosomal disorders in the world. Mutations in the HBB gene underlie deficiencies in hemoglobin production, which can interfere with oxygen delivery resulting in wide range of disease severity. Although >535 mutations have been characterized in the HBB gene, beta-thalassemia is broadly classified into three groups, based on clinical severity: beta-t...

Background: Beta-thalassemia major is a severe and lethal hemolytic anemia. Regular transfusion is necessary for avoidance of its complications but it may end to cardiac involvement secondary to iron overload. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) are useful medications even in early stages of heart failure. We studied the effects of two common ACEIs on improvement of heart function ...

Background: Although beta thalassemia major (BTM) patients are properly treated with blood transfusions in accompany iron chelation therapy, they suffer from serious complications such as hypothyroidism. Aim: This work aims to assess hypothyroidism among adult β-thalassemia and find out its association various parameters age, body mass index (BMI) ,gender ,hemoglobin(Hb) serum ferritin levels. ...

BACKGROUND In the past two decades, a large-scale survey of hemoglobinopathies and thalassemia was carried out in mainland China, involving nearly one million people in 28 provinces. The incidences of hemoglobin (Hb) variants, alpha-thalassemia and beta-thalassemia were 0.33%, 2.64% and 0.66%, respectively. The chemical structural analysis identified 67 Hb variants. Among them, 20 are new varia...

BACKGROUND Beta-thalassemia is one of the most common genetic disorders in Thailand. Clinical phenotype ranges from silent carrier to clinically manifested conditions including severe beta-thalassemia major and mild beta-thalassemia intermedia. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterize the spectrum of beta-globin gene mutations in pediatric patients who were followed-up in Phramongkutklao Ho...