Management of thalassemia

<p>Treatment of the inherited blood disorder <a href="/facts/Thalassemia/NF7GIJsJ">thalassemia</a> depends upon the level of severity. For mild forms of the condition, advice and counseling are often all that are necessary. For more severe forms, treatment may consist in <a href="/facts/Blood_transfusion/fb0Mk6Dx">blood transfusion</a>; <a href="/facts/Chelation_therapy/BtIB1o8I">chelation therapy</a> to reverse <a href="/facts/Iron_overload/b7jEdAGr">iron overload</a>, using drugs such as <a href="/facts/Deferoxamine/XRmHrHaU">deferoxamine</a>, <a href="/facts/Deferiprone/j52QUPjT">deferiprone</a>, or <a href="/facts/Deferasirox/ElRhYua8">deferasirox</a>; medication with the antioxidant <a href="/facts/Indicaxanthin/XGetmIdW">indicaxanthin</a> to prevent the breakdown of <a href="/facts/Hemoglobin/RsD1MzYA">hemoglobin</a>; or a <a href="/facts/Bone_marrow_transplant/rGYRsATD">bone marrow transplant</a> using material from a compatible donor, or from the patient's mother. Removal of the spleen (<a href="/facts/Splenectomy/oFGhehpQ">splenectomy</a>) could theoretically help to reduce the need for blood transfusions in people with thalassaemia major or intermedia but there is currently no reliable evidence from clinical trials about its effects. Population <a href="/facts/Screening_(medicine)/YhrXum3t">screening</a> has had some success as a preventive measure.
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Management of thalassemia open-in-new

Management of thalassemia