Guwahati: Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta on Tuesday unveiled a Thalassemia screening clinic at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
A blood illness called thalassemia causes the body to produce an abnormal kind of haemoglobin. The protein component in red blood cells that carries oxygen is called haemoglobin.
Anemia is brought on by the disorder’s excessive red blood cell oxidation. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells.
The Assam State Blood Transfusion Council (ASBTC), which is part of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, launched the programme to provide financial assistance to children under the age of 14 who belong to families whose annual income is less than 5 lakh to address the financial difficulties faced by those who live below the poverty line.
Symptoms of thalassemia
The symptoms of thalassemia can vary. Some of the most common ones include:
- bone deformities, especially in the face
- dark urine
- delayed growth and development
- excessive tiredness and fatigue
- yellow or pale skin
Not everyone has visible symptoms of thalassemia. Signs of the disorder also tend to show up later in childhood or adolescence.
Causes of thalassemia
Thalassemia occurs when there’s an abnormality or mutation in one of the genes involved in hemoglobin production. You inherit this genetic abnormality from your parents.
If only one of your parents is a carrier for thalassemia, you may develop a form of the disease known as thalassemia minor. If this occurs, you probably won’t have symptoms, but you’ll be a carrier. Some people with thalassemia minor do develop minor symptoms.
If both of your parents are carriers of thalassemia, you have a greater chance of inheriting a more serious form of the disease.