Thalassemia: Anemia and Mediterranean Sea Area
THALASSEMIA
Every day, there are children dying from Thalassemia, a genetic blood disease, and they need your help. You could be the blood donor that gets to save one of those children's lives. Some people don’t even consider Thalassemia a disease because with regular blood transfusions they live. As you keep on reading this essay you will find a detailed explanation of the characteristics of a person with Thalassemia and what they need in order to survive. After reading this essay you will see how you, can help them live.
Thalassemia is a genetic blood disease in which the amount of hemoglobin is too low or too high which then leads to microcytic anemia. Hemoglobin is a red protein that transports oxygen in the blood. Each molecule contains iron atom that is bound to a heme group. Scientists have predicted that this disease will be worldwide in the next century but now it’s most common in the Mediterranean Sea area, Africa, Southeast Asia and North America. There are two kinds of Thalassemia; Minor and Major. In Thalassemia the minor blood count is lower than that of an average human. If an individual is born with this disease, he will have it for the rest of his life. Currently, there is no way to treat this disease, but the only thing that people with Thalassemia need is to be careful that this disease does not pass onto their children, for it can then develop into Thalassemia major. It’s a very big risk of planning a family with this disease. Statistics claim that in Italy there are currently 3-6% of the population, which suffers from Thalassemia minor. Thalassemia major is more serious and occurs when both of the parents have this disease in their genes and here there is a 25% of chance that it will pass onto their children. This disease can affect some children of the family but may also affect all. A newborn child with Thalassemia major may look normal at birth but after the age of eight it’s possible to see a few changes in the appearance of the child.
Every day, there are children dying from Thalassemia, a genetic blood disease, and they need your help. You could be the blood donor that gets to save one of those children's lives. Some people don’t even consider Thalassemia a disease because with regular blood transfusions they live. As you keep on reading this essay you will find a detailed explanation of the characteristics of a person with Thalassemia and what they need in order to survive. After reading this essay you will see how you, can help them live.
Thalassemia is a genetic blood disease in which the amount of hemoglobin is too low or too high which then leads to microcytic anemia. Hemoglobin is a red protein that transports oxygen in the blood. Each molecule contains iron atom that is bound to a heme group. Scientists have predicted that this disease will be worldwide in the next century but now it’s most common in the Mediterranean Sea area, Africa, Southeast Asia and North America. There are two kinds of Thalassemia; Minor and Major. In Thalassemia the minor blood count is lower than that of an average human. If an individual is born with this disease, he will have it for the rest of his life. Currently, there is no way to treat this disease, but the only thing that people with Thalassemia need is to be careful that this disease does not pass onto their children, for it can then develop into Thalassemia major. It’s a very big risk of planning a family with this disease. Statistics claim that in Italy there are currently 3-6% of the population, which suffers from Thalassemia minor. Thalassemia major is more serious and occurs when both of the parents have this disease in their genes and here there is a 25% of chance that it will pass onto their children. This disease can affect some children of the family but may also affect all. A newborn child with Thalassemia major may look normal at birth but after the age of eight it’s possible to see a few changes in the appearance of the child.