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Poster Disease Project. New Due Date – Wed, April 13 th. Reminders . Must be a self stand trifold poster No handwritten writing Suggestion – use a 2 color theme 24-28 pt font for each section Use headings. 11. Beta Thalassemia. What is it & how does the d isease occur?.
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Poster Disease Project New Due Date – Wed, April 13th
Reminders • Must be a self stand trifold poster • No handwritten writing • Suggestion – use a 2 color theme • 24-28 pt font for each section • Use headings
What is it & how does the disease occur? • Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in your body than normal. Several types of thalassemia exist, including alpha-thalassemia, beta-thalassemia, Cooley's anemia and Mediterranean anemia. • Thalassemia is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that two copies of the recessive HBB allele must be inherited from each parent in order to express the disease.
Inheritance pattern of Thalassemia http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
Global Population distribution of Thalassemia in 1979. www.bmj.com
Incidence • Thousands of children are born each year with Beta thalassemia in the world. • Beta thalassemia occurs most frequently in the from Mediterranean counties such as North Africa, the Middle East, India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Risk Factors • Thalassemia is passed from parents to children through mutated hemoglobin genes. If you have a family history of thalassemia, you may have an increased risk of the condition. • Thalassemia occurs most often in people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Asian and African ancestry
Symptoms • Here is a list of signs and symptoms of thalessemia depending on the severity of the disorder. Some occurs at birth or within the first two years of life. • Fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, pale, irritability, yellow discoloration of skin, slow growth, abdominal swelling, and dark urine.
Treatments & Preventions • For mild conditions, treatments include frequent blood transfusions and stem cell transplants (bone marrow transplant). • Individuals with thalassemia should avoid eating excess iron, eat healthy and avoid infections. • The only step towards prevention is talking to a genetic counselor to understand the chances of passing it on to your offspring.