Alpha Thalassemia

[gallifrey]

On my booking in bloods back in october it came back saying Alpha thalassemia carrier. The midwife asked me about this and I'd never heard of it before so she decided to ignore it!
I have 1 daughter who is now 7 and it didn't crop up back then when I was pregnant with her.

I forgot all about it, but when I went to see the consultant the other day she was very concerned and wanted me to see the hematologist she phoned the dept and was advised to give me another blood test and get me properly tested for it to see if I'm a carrier or not.

When I got home I googled it (big mistake!) and now I'm quite worried.

Does anyone else know anything about this at all?

I am a carried of another genetic dissorder and until diagnosed I had never heard of it either!

Just looked at the genetic alliance and it seams this does it misdiagnosed on occasion so that is why they want you to see the consultant.

I do understand that it all seams very scary to start out but at least it is something they are aware of and the support is great. You may find a specific charity or group for those effecte and there families.

Sorry I could not offer any information to help but wanted to give you some support and to say you are not alone plus more importantly keep away from Google!

I have the other version of this, Beta Thalassemia Minor (carrier). It's not really a problem if you are a carrier because you can live a normal life, that's why many people never know they have have this genetic disorder. I'm not very well read on the Apha carrier, but for Beta carriers, we are missing one of two Beta genes that are necessary for the production of hemogloblin which is what carries oxgen to your blood cells. In my case it's meant that I have smaller and fewer red bloods cells. It has caused me to have symptoms of anaemis (without actually being anaemic) twice so far in my life. Once when I was in my early 20's and now while I've been pregnant. There's no cure but it's not life threatening.

The problem occurs when you have a baby with someone who is ALSO a carrier. This gives the baby the unfortunate chance that they could have both genes missing. This is called Thalassemia Major and it is a very serious illness.

Your doctor is probably concerned because he/she will want to genetically screen your partner to see if he could be a carrier as well. It's unlikely, but this is a necessary precaution normally taken to determine the risk to the baby.

Try not to worry about it, go and see your GP and ask all the questions you can think of. There is a lot of useful information on the internet as well, but it sounds like you have being doing some research, so that's good.

Good luck with your pregnancy!

they need to be testing both yourself and your partner for thalassemia to assess risks to the baby. thalassemia is common in individuals from the mediterranian, middle east, africa and asia.