Thalassemia is a disease caused by a genetic disorder which affects nearly 7% of the World’s population. Thalassemia is a hereditary genetic disorder meaning that it is passed down to children from their parents and can prove fatal in infancy.
Thalassemia is characterized by the inability of the body to produce a sufficient amount of Hemoglobin and red Blood cells. Together these two are responsible for the transportation of Oxygen throughout the body. The lack of these causes anemia and fatigue in Thalassemia patients and in severe cases may cause organ damage, heart failure, restricted growth and even death.
There are about 7 million reported patients of Thalassemia in Pakistan with 95% of children affected by this disease under the age of 15. Thalassemia major is the dangerous version of this disease which requires blood transfusions every month and even then many children die between the ages of 8 to 12.
It is very important to conduct Thalassemia Test before marriage because this disease is hereditary and one of the major reasons for its spread is inter family marriage among families who have this disease. Even if parents have Thalassemia minor, (which is a silent carrier and doesn’t require treatment) their children can have Thalassemia major which can prove fatal. Therefore it is essential that awareness is spread among the population to control the growth of this dangerous disease.