Treatment For Thalassemia By Regular Blood Transfusions

Thalassemia Disease is a genetic blood disorder that affects the production of the hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the red blood cell in the human body. Treatment for thalassemia depends on patient condition, usually the medical team take an action due to subtype of the disorder, but may include treatment for anemia, blood transfusions, and treatment for the effects of blood transfusions, such as iron overload.

Patients with Thalassemia who getting treatment by regular Blood transfusions system commonly they have serious situation for life-threatening due too anemia. There are two form of Beta Thalassemia that need to get treatment by regular Blood transfusions; Thalassemia Intermedia (TI) and Thalassemia major (Cooley's anemia). This treatment gives a patient healthy red blood cells with normal hemoglobin.

Beta thalassemia intermedia and major can lead to serious complications, especially if untreated. Some of complication may occurs Excess iron, Bone deformities and broken bones, Enlarged spleen, Infections, Slower growth rates. The doctor will decided a regular transfusion program in a child newly diagnosed with thalassemia must take into account both laboratory and clinical findings. Children with thalassemia major require ongoing treatment and blood transfusions to stay healthy.

Treatment of Thalassemia by regular blood transfusions system can lead to a buildup of iron in the blood (iron overload), Without removal of this iron by chelation, it can become toxic to several vital organs such as damages the liver, heart, and other parts of the body. Frequency of transfusion usually every two to three weeks to maintain the pre-transfusion haemoglobin level above 9–10.5 g/dl, it will take 1 to 4 hours. Patient with cardiac insufficiency, transfusion may have to be given every second week or sometime every week.

The risk of transfusion in transmitted infections for the thalassemia patients are malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, Cytomegalovirus, and HIV infection. Other reaction from blood transfusion may occurs sudden development hypertension, convulsion, cerebral hemorrhage, and edema after multiple transfusion. Transfusions of washed, leukocyte-depleted RBCs are recommended for all the patients to reduce the incidence of febrile and urticarial reactions as well as infectious cytomegalovirus contamination.

The main advantages of early initiation of blood transfusion in patient thalassemia are to avoid further progression of the disease and also to prevent or ameliorate its associated complications. Today, however, thanks to blood transfusion therapy and effective iron chelators, the life expectancy for children with severe thalassemia is constantly improving.