Thalassemia treatment

Treatment for thalassemia depends on the severity of the condition. They have mild, moderate, or severe. People who are carriers or who have alpha or beta thalassemia trait have mild or no symptoms. They need little or no treatment. People with moderate and severe thalassemia (hemoglobin H disease, thalassemia major) are treated with regular blood transfusions, iron chelation therapy, folic acid supplements. Bone marrow transplant is also used for treatment of beta thalassemia major. Without treatment, children with severe thalassemia typically do not live beyond early childhood.

Blood Transfusions
Severe forms of thalassemia are treated by regular blood transfusions. A blood transfusion provides blood (containing normal red blood cells from healthy donors) through a needle into a vein. Blood transfusions are done on a schedule (often every two to four weeks) to keep hemoglobin and red blood cell numbers at normal levels.

If you have hemoglobin H disease or beta thalassemia intermedia, you may need blood transfusions on occasion. For example, you may need this treatment when you have an infection or other illness, or when your anemia is severe enough to cause tiredness.

If you have beta thalassemia major, or Cooley's anemia, you need regular blood transfusions (often every 2 to 4 weeks). These will help you maintain normal hemoglobin levels and red blood cell numbers. Transfusion therapy can allow a person with severe thalassemia to feel better, enjoy normal activities, and even live longer.

Iron Chelation Therapy
Iron chelation therapy uses medicine to remove the excess iron that builds up in the body when a person has regular blood transfusions. If the iron is not removed, it will damage organs such as the heart and liver. The medication used for iron chelation is called deferoxamine (Desferal). This medication has to be administered through a painful and difficult infusion process. When using deferoxamine, a needle is attached to a small battery-operated infusion pump and worn under the skin of the stomach or legs five to seven times a week for up to twelve hours.

Folic Acid Supplements
Folic Acid Supplements which your body needs to produce red blood cells. A person with thalassemia needs folic acid supplements because red blood cells are destroyed faster than normal. As a result, the body often uses up its stores of this vitamin.

Bone Marrow Transplants
Bone marrow or stem cell transplants have been used successfully in some children with severe thalassemia. It replaces your abnormal or faulty stem cells with healthy ones from donor. Stem cells are the cells inside bone marrow that make red blood cells and other types of blood cells. Although bone marrow transplants offer a cure to some children, it is a risky procedure and it may result in death.