Thalassemia Patients and Friends

Discussion Forums => Thalassemia Minor => Topic started by: positiveanxiety on February 22, 2020, 03:54:28 AM

Title: Can someone help me understand why my immune system sucks with Alpha Thal Minor?
Post by: positiveanxiety on February 22, 2020, 03:54:28 AM

I have alpha thal minor, 4.2kb leftward deletion, and I catch every single thing possible, viral, fungal, etc... had every test in the book, just the alpha thal minor keeps coming back, so I'm thinking that's what's making my immune system compromised, but I'd love to be able to explain it to my doctors, family, etc...

Title: Re: Can someone help me understand why my immune system sucks with Alpha Thal Minor?
Post by: Andy Battaglia on February 28, 2020, 11:13:09 PM

Are you taking any supplements? Folate is always recommended for alpha thal. Make sure it is L-methylfolate and not folic acid, which does not work as well. Folate can be safely taken in high doses and folic acid cannot. I would recommend 2000-5000 mcg folate daily. To boost the immune system, high doses of vitamin D, (I take 50,000 IU once weekly) and a zinc supplement (a good one will have about 50 mg zinc and also include a small amount of copper, as they should be taken together) can help a lot.