Thalassaemia is an inherited condition of the blood, which affects the production of haemoglobin - an oxygen carrying substance that gives blood its red colour. There are many forms of thalassaemia, among which Beta-Thalassaemia Major is the commonest. It is a life threatening condition. Children who are born with Beta-Thalassaemia Major can not make enough haemoglobin in their blood. As a result they become severely anaemic and need blood transfusion every 4 weeks and regular injections for life (desferrioxamine).

          If both parents have beta thalassaemia trait there is a one in four chance (25%) that in EACH pregnancy the child will have Beta-Thalassaemia Major. This does not mean that if you plan to have 4 children only one will inherit the disease.

           The Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Support Project provides genetic counselling which gives individuals the opportunity to discuss the several options for making informed decisions.

          This is a micrograph slide of a blood screen from a person with sickle cell disorder. You can see that some of the red blood cells have changed shape from round to sickle shape due to a lack of oxygen. It is these sickled red blood cells that stick together and block small capillaries anywhere in the body leading to a sickle crisis.

          This is a micrograph slide of a blood screen from a person with thalassaemia major. You can see that the red blood cells are not full of haemoglobin, which gives red blood cells its colour.