Thalassemia : Symptoms & Remedies

Thalassemia is one of the rarest diseases; there are cases where thalassemia can be harmful to a patient and force them to take a diet and exercise for an extended period. So in this article, we will talk about everything about thalassemia  and its symptoms & Remedies

What is thalassemia?

Thalassemia is a rare genetic disease that happens when your blood cannot carry enough oxygen to your body. In other words, if your hemoglobin level is low, then you will most likely get thalassemia. Most of the time, people get minor thalassemia in which they can get treated and cured, although people with severe types might need to take a strict diet and exercise daily to control their thalassemia.

Symptoms of thalassemia

Many people that have minor thalassemia might not show any signs and symptoms. While the significant types will have symptoms like;

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Weakness
• Slow growth
• Overloading of iron in your body

Types of thalassemia

There are two significant types of thalassemia and one minor type of thalassemia. In thalassemia minor, you don’t even have to worry much as it won’t harm you in any way, and if you get your hemoglobin level up, it will get cured quickly.

Although the significant types, which are alpha thalassemia and beta-thalassemia, are the ones that you need to worry about. Hemoglobin gets made from alpha and beta chains. In thalassemia, your alpha and beta chain production will also down and cause thalassemia.

Alpha thalassemia

The alpha chain gets made from four genes that you inherit equally from your father and mother. In alpha thalassemia, the more mutated genes you have, the more dangerous your condition gets.

One mutated gene: No symptoms and signs will show on your body, but you can pass your thalassemia to your child.

Two mutated genes: This often considered as alpha thalassemia trait; in this, your symptoms and signs start to show, but it will be mild.

Three mutated genes: Here the things will start to get real, and you will need a doctor, a strict diet, and exercise.

Four mutated genes: This is one of the dangerous ones as this happens while your child is born. When a child is born with this disease, it can die in a few months or require transfusion therapy as long as he is alive.

Beta thalassemia

The beta-thalassemia gets formed by two mutated genes, which you inherit equally from your parents.

One mutated gene: In this thalassemia, your thalassemia symptoms and signs are very mild. This thalassemia often referred to as minor thalassemia.

Two mutated genes: This thalassemia can be dangerous and requires treatment. Here your symptoms start to become severe and can be harmful.

Treatment

If a person has minor thalassemia they might not require any medical treatment, although the person with major thalassemia will have to go through different types of medications.

• Blood transfusion: It’s the process where you get blood into your veins from another person’s body.
• Vitamins: Taking vitamin pills can result in the overall wellness of your body and also increase the blood flow.
• Iron reducer: As we read in symptoms, thalassemia can form more iron than your body can take. So an iron reducer helps you get rid of the extra iron in your body.

Home remedies

Beetroot juice

The reason why beetroot juice is excellent for your thalassemia is that beetroot can help in producing more red blood cells and is considered one of the best foods for raising the hemoglobin level.

Banana

Just like beetroot, a banana can also help you with thalassemia by producing more red blood cells in your body.

Food that has high vitamins

Vitamins can help you with overall wellness, so eating food with high vitamins can result in controlling your thalassemia. Although before eating food with high vitamins, confirm your doctor as this food can also have high iron, which you don’t want to have during thalassemia.