What is Thalassemia?
Thalassemia, also known as Cooley’s anemia, is an inherited disorder that suppresses the body’s ability to manufacture a sufficient number of red blood cells. Because severe anemia can result, must be treated to avoid potentially fatal damage to the heart or liver. Severe thalassemia is treated with blood transfusions and medication, and sometimes with bone marrow transplantation. Milder forms of the disease do not pose as great a survival threat.
