| SUSAN LECLAIR |
Edna - Thalassemia does
NOT cause iron deficiency. If anything it is association with iron
OVERLOAD.
A little background - hemoglobin is made up of 4 protein chains and
embedded in each chain is a heme molecule which is a protoporphyrin and
iron complex. (Think of it as a diamond iron with the protein chains as
the ring, the protoporphyrin is the setting and the iron is the jewel.)
Thalassemia is an inherited disorder in which either 1) you are missing
part of the gene that "makes" hemoglobin chains or 2) you are making the
chains at a much slower than normal rate. The end presentation in the
red cell is a lack of hemoglobin which many people think is a lack of
iron - which it is not. They have plenty of iron but it cannot be used
in hemoglobin since they only make less than 40% (in the most severe
case) to about 80% (in the milder forms) of the "normal" amount of
hemoglobin.
While one form of Thalassemia was found in people of Mediterranean
descent, there are actually 7 different types of Thalassemia - each with
its own severe/moderate/mild presentations. Beta thalassemia (the
original Mediterranean anaemia) can be found in people in the
Philippines and Micronesia as well as people from the Mediterranean
while alpha thalassemia has been found in people from Northern Europe.
It sounds as if you have one of the milder forms which has escaped
detection in earlier generations because of its mildness
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