Keshab Mahanta Inaugurates Thalassemia Screening Camp at GMCH

Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta on Tuesday inaugurated the Thalassemia screening camp at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells.

Those living below the poverty line face financial problems and therefore, the Assam State Blood Transfusion Council (ASBTC) under the Department of Health and Family Welfare department has launched the scheme to grant financial assistance to the childfren below the age of 14 years who belongs to the family whose earning is below 5lakh per annum.  

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.

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