How do you know if you have thalassemia?

Diagnosis. Doctors diagnose thalassemias using blood tests, including a complete blood count (CBC) and special hemoglobin tests. A CBC measures the amount of hemoglobin and the different kinds of blood cells, such as red blood cells, in a sample of blood.

What are the two symptoms of thalassemia?

When there are not enough healthy red blood cells, there is also not enough oxygen delivered to all the other cells of the body, which may cause a person to feel tired, weak or short of breath. This is a condition called anemia. People with thalassemia may have mild or severe anemia.

What are the symptoms of beta thalassemia minor?

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Beta Thalassemia?

  • tiredness.
  • shortness of breath.
  • a fast heartbeat.
  • pale skin.
  • yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • moodiness.
  • slow growth.

What are the symptoms of alpha thalassemia?

Some of the more common symptoms of alpha thalassemia include:

  • fatigue, weakness, or shortness of breath.
  • a pale appearance or a yellow color to the skin (jaundice)
  • irritability.
  • deformities of the facial bones.
  • slow growth.
  • a swollen abdomen.
  • dark urine.

What part of the body does thalassemia affect?

Thalassemia can cause bone deformities in the face and skull. People who have thalassemia may also have severe osteoporosis (brittle bones). Too much iron in your blood. This can cause damage to the heart, liver, or endocrine system (glands in the body that make hormones, like the thyroid gland and adrenal glands).

What is the difference between thalassemia minor and thalassemia trait?

People who have thalassemia trait (also called thalassemia minor) carry the genetic trait for thalassemia but do not usually experience any health problems except perhaps a mild anemia. A person may have either alpha thalassemia trait or beta thalassemia trait, depending upon which form of beta protein is lacking.

What should I eat if I have alpha thalassemia?

Nutrition & Thalassemia It is recommended that patients going through blood transfusion should opt for a low iron diet. Avoiding iron-fortified foods like cereal, red meat, green leafy vegetables & Vitamin C-rich foods is the best option for thalassemic patients.

Does thalassemia weaken immune system?

Because it is working so hard on this job, it can’t work as hard to filter blood or monitor for and fight infections. Because of this, people with thalassemia are said to be “immunocompromised,” which means that some of the body’s defenses against infection aren’t working.