What Are the Different Kinds of Thalassemia?
Thalassemia includes a number of different forms of anemia (red blood cell deficiency). The two main types are called alpha and beta thalassemias, depending on which part of an oxygen-carrying protein (called hemoglobin) is lacking in the red blood cells. The most severe form of alpha thalassemia, which affects mainly individuals of Southeast Asian, Chinese and Filipino ancestry, results in fetal or newborn death. Most individuals with alpha thalassemia have milder forms of the disease, with varying degrees of anemia. The remainder of this information sheet focuses on beta thalassemias, which range from very severe to having no effect on health. • Thalassemia major, the most severe form, is also called Cooley’s anemia, named after the doctor who first described it in 1925. • Thalassemia intermedia is a mild Cooley’s anemia. • Thalassemia minor (also called thalassemia trait) may cause no symptoms, but changes in the blood do occur. How Does Thalassemia Affect a Child? Most children wit
