Thalassaemiais the name for a group of inherited conditions that
affect a substance in the blood called haemoglobin.
People with thalassaemia produce either no or too little
haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen
around the body. This can make them very anaemic (tired, short of
breath and pale). It mainly affects people of Mediterranean, south
Asian, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern origin.
There are different types of thalassaemia, which can be divided
into alpha and beta thalassaemias. Beta thalassaemia major is the
most severe type. Other types include beta thalassaemia intermedia,
alpha thalassaemia major and haemoglobin H disease.
It's also possible to be a "carrier" of thalassaemia, also known
as having the thalassaemia trait. Being a beta thalassaemia carrier
will not generally cause you any health problems, but you're at
risk of having children with thalassaemia.
Rare inherited anaemias (RIA) are a subset of anaemias caused by
a myriad of genetic defects affecting erythropoiesis stages or one
red blood cell (RBC) component (Diamond-Blackfan anaemia,
congenital dyserythropoietic anaemias, enzyme deficiencies, red
cell membrane disorders).
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