Thalassemia Patients and Friends

Discussion Forums => Thalassemia Minor => Topic started by: Romano3128 on February 23, 2007, 02:42:42 AM

Title: Blood Tranfusions?
Post by: Romano3128 on February 23, 2007, 02:42:42 AM
I am a little confused!  Do people with or most of them with thal inter need blood tranfusions? And what about the ones who just have the minor version cause my children have minor but I have inter and have never needed a transfusion unless I recieved one as a child and do not remember. Please someone let me know and thank you very much.
Title: Re: Blood Tranfusions?
Post by: Andy Battaglia on February 23, 2007, 02:49:10 AM
The original classification of thal intermedia was that if you had two genes affected and did not need transfusion before adulthood, you were intermedia. Intermedias often need transfusions later in life, as their bodies get less efficient at producing enough hemoglobin to keep a sufficient quality of life.
Title: Re: Blood Tranfusions?
Post by: Danielle on March 05, 2007, 08:29:34 PM
And if an Intermedia gets hypertransfused, they can turn into a Major, by cutting off what little hemoglobin that the bone marrow once produced.  :-\