Thalassaemia

What is thalassaemia? Thalassaemia is an inherited genetic disorder that affects the blood and causes lifelong anaemia. People with thalassaemia do not produce enough healthy haemoglobin, which makes their blood cells small and pale. Haemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. People born with thalassaemia cannot move oxygen around the body properly. Depending on the type of thalassaemia they have, they may need regular blood transfusions to stay alive. What causes thalassaemia? Thalassaemia is caused when someone inherits gene mutations (‘spelling errors’ in the DNA in genes)