thalassemia trait

[thedaywewillremeber]

Ds1 has just been diagnosed with thalassemia trait. He’s got small red blood cells and is in the doctors words “a little bit anemic” is there anything he can do to improve his condition? I’ve read that it usually doesn’t cause any symptoms so I’m wondering why his blood tests are affected by it.

It doesn’t sound like you have been given a very good explanation. Thalassaemia trait is inherited from one parent and is basically just a variation, like eye colour etc etc. It is only a problem if a couple both have the trait as it can then cause a problem for their children. You cannot change the trait.
He will have red blood cells that are a bit smaller than average, just because of the way the cells are made in him, and that can be mistaken for anaemia due to low iron levels, but it is actually normal for him.
This might help www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Thalassaemia-information-from-patient-co-uk.pdf See the start of page 2.

My db has this. I don't know much about it tbh apart from what @Sussexmidwife says about having a partner with it and causing their children problems.

He was told that it's more common in non-white people but as far as I know our family are all white, at least a few generations back so I don't know how or why he would have it.

My sister has this that she inherited from df. Both suffer from anemia and sister has also always had heavy periods. Her dh had to tested for the trait when they were trying to conceive.

He was told that it's more common in non-white people but as far as I know our family are all white, at least a few generations back so I don't know how or why he would have it.

It's also more common in people from Mediterranean countries (in case you have any relatives from Italy/Spain etc.)

I'm Italian and I know a few of people with thalassemia trait (I asked around when I was pregnant and got tested). I remember someone wasn't good at high altitude (not a problem in the UK!) and a friend who has thalassemia (not just the trait) is a bit aneamic and says iron tablets dont seem to work for her but iron rich food does.

I wouldn't worry too much but if he has a partner I'd mention it before TTC, especially if she's not white or from southern Europe.

Thank you no the gp didn’t particularly give much information.

A starting point ?

kidshealth.org/en/parents/beta-thalassemia.html

I don't have it, but my DB has it in the "minor" one-allele version. Went completely undetected in the UK despite his being "anaemic" sometimes when giving blood. Luckily he was checked out eventually (in the US) as you really should be bulking up on iron supplements if you don't need them.

I was diagnosed during pregnancy, they found it in my blood. I'm in my mid twenties and knew nothing of it. It's never had an effect on my life

I have this so has my sister. We don't know how we came to inherit it as neither our mum or dad or our grandparents were known to suffer from it.

It has a similar effect to anemia and both of us have regular appointments with a haematology consultant at hospital. We have regular iron infusions.

@RiveterRosie

I have this so has my sister. We don't know how we came to inherit it as neither our mum or dad or our grandparents were known to suffer from it.

It has a similar effect to anemia and both of us have regular appointments with a haematology consultant at hospital. We have regular iron infusions.

We have regular iron infusions.

If you are having iron, then it's not thalassaemia

www.thalassemia.org/learn-about-thalassemia/about-thalassemia/

However, physicians often mistake mild alpha thalassaemia for iron deficiency anaemia and prescribe iron supplements that have no effect on the anaemia.

and

As in mild alpha thalassaemia, physicians often mistake the small red blood cells of the person with beta thalassaemia minor as a sign of iron-deficiency anemia and incorrectly prescribe iron supplements.

I'm quite alert to this as DB came very close to being prescribed iron, until it was bottomed out. And you really don't want iron unnecessarily.