I would like to know about treatment of Thalassemia major?

Question

my son is suffering from thalassemia major since his childhood, now his age is 9 yrs. Since his childhood till date i tried a lot for his
treatment but still there is no good effect, could anybody help me to get proper information about this disease and treatment for the same.

Answer 1

There appear to be two types of major thalassemias: alpha and beta.
You can find some reliable information from the US National Institutes of Health website at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Thalassemia/Thalassemia_WhatIs.html

This provides information about causes, and treatments including the possibility of gene therapy and is probably your best soruce of information on the current research and understanding of the condition.

Answer 2

With severe thalassemia, regular blood transfusions and folate supplementation are given. People who receive the blood transfusions should avoid iron supplements and oxidative drugs such as sulfonamides, because iron levels can become toxic.

Patients who receive significant numbers of blood transfusions require therapy to remove iron from the body, called chelation therapy. Bone marrow transplant is being investigated as a treatment and is most successful in children.
Untreated, thalassemia major leads to heart failure as well as liver dysfunction, and susceptibility to infection.

Iron overload as a side effect of treatment can cause damage to the heart, liver, and endocrine systems. This complication is managed by daily injections of an iron chelating agent, which binds to iron and causes it to be excreted in the urine.