Thalassemia (congenital hemolytic disease)

(Baonghean.vn) According to Dr. Ngu Thi Le Vinh, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology - Blood (Nghe An Children's Hospital), in Nghe An, the number of children with congenital hemolytic disease is quite high, about 200 cases treated at the Institute each year, accounting for over 40% of blood diseases. This is a genetic disease of red blood cells, with symptoms of anemia, hemolysis, jaundice, enlarged spleen, with many serious, long-term complications such as: anemia leading to slow physical development and facial bone deformities, iron poisoning leading to heart failure, liver failure, in addition to hypothyroidism or diabetes...

In severe cases, when the child is 6-10 months old, there are symptoms of pale skin, fatigue, poor appetite, slow growth, enlarged spleen, and increasing jaundice. When the child grows up, the face changes: flat nose, protruding jaw, protruding forehead; the child has slow physical development, is often tired, dizzy, and has reduced ability to learn and work. In intermediate cases, in the first 3-4 years, the child has no symptoms of anemia or mild symptoms that are easy to ignore, then there are symptoms of anemia and jaundice, and may require regular blood transfusions. In mild cases, it can only be detected through blood tests or DNA tests.

People with severe and intermediate forms of the disease need regular blood transfusions and iron excretion to maintain a normal life, and bone marrow transplantation is currently available to cure the disease. Treatment of this disease is very expensive and ineffective, but prevention is possible. To prevent the disease, parents need to learn to improve their understanding of the disease, and need to have a blood test before marriage to know if they carry the disease gene or not. If so, they need to get premarital counseling to make the best choice. If both husband and wife carry the disease gene, it is necessary to do DNA diagnosis of the fetus before the 12th week to be able to choose a fetus that is not sick.

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