overgrown spleen

Hi my name is Rosie and I stumbled upon this website by chance. I'm doing some research for a lady I met yesterday who has a two year old daughter who had an overgrown spleen at birth. She had a partial splenectomy at 7 months of age and is frequently anaemic,gets sick enough to be admitted to hospital with tooth eruption and recently broke her leg. The spleen has since overgrown again as well. This lady has no diagnosis for her daughter and I typed in some symptoms and came up with thalassemia. Is it possible that the doctors may have overlloked this as a possibility or is it something that would normally be explored early on?

Hi Rosie,

Do you have anymore information about the girl? The anemia, low immune system and enlarged spleen could all be related to thalassemia but it could also be something else. If your friend is a resident of the same country you live in, then it's most likely the baby was not tested at birth for hemoglobin disorders, because it isn't mandatory. If it is a possibility at all, a hemoglobin electrophoresis test should be done to check for thal. This is a simple blood test. If you have anymore information about tests she has had, such as a complete blood count, that may also give some clues. I would not rule out the possibility of thal or another blood disorder without having more information. Genetic background can also be of some help. Much of the thalassemia in your area is Mediterranean in origin.  If this is suspected to be thalassemia, I can put you in touch with a local association that will direct you to a thal specialist.