What are the symptoms of DBA?
DBA has symptoms in common with all types of anaemia. Pallor (paleness), tachycardia (irregular heartbeat) and heart murmurs due to the increase in work the heart needs to do to keep oxygen moving around the body. This can lead to irritability, tiredness, and fainting. Since DBA is diagnosed at a very early age, it is difficult for children to tell their parents how they are feeling. Parents usually notice that ‘something is wrong’ well before diagnosis. In a third of cases there are related physical defects, including thumb, kidney and facial abnormalities, but in others there are no physical signs that the sufferer has DBA. Many affected children are very short for their age, and may have delayed puberty. Children with DBA otherwise develop normally, and it is unusual for affected children to have learning difficulties.
