What Is Thalassemia Minor?

I have thalassemia minor. it was passed on to me by my mum and I have no symptoms whatsoever.

I have two cousins -- my aunt's daughters (mum's sister's daughters).

One of them is very active and the other one is usually calm, lazy and exhausted.

When we all went for the test, everyone in our family was prejudging that the lazy one would have Thalassemia minor, but guess what? When the results came out it was discovered that the daughter who is always active, involved in sports, adventure, etc. has Thalessemia Minor, whereas the lazy one was free of Thalessemia.

So you never know until you are tested. Get tested!

@anon177032: You are right. I have the same problems sometimes, like after waking up there is no energy in my body and even after a long sleep I don't feel refreshed and have headaches sometimes. But it happens with me sometimes, not always. My doctor advised me to take a Folic Acid supplement. Is anyone already using folic acid?

If you have been diagnosed with thalassemia minor, I would suggest seeing a hematologist regularly. General practitioners are not specialists in treating thalassemia. You may have low hemoglobin and low iron or low hemoglobin and normal to high iron. A ferritin level should be completed to check iron levels. I have had thalassemia minor my whole life with a hemoglobin around 10; however many thalassemia minors have hemoglobin that is lower.

I am a Chinese and I too have beta TM. I discovered it only in my late 40s. I noticed that when I was young, my mom used to give me Korean ginseng to drink, prepared by scooping about about half a small cup of boiling rice water and adding about three to five pieces of thinly sliced Korean ginseng into the cup and then leaving it in the rice pot while the rice continue to cook. I was given this to drink about once a month. This helped to give me energy and sustained me. None of my other siblings were given this herb. I was the anemic one in my family.

By the way, you can buy Korean ginseng extract and take a small pea sized piece each time with lukewarm water.

In my 50s, a friend recommended that I try what the Chinese called blue dates boiled with dong sum (a popular kind of herbal root among the Chinese), red dates and wolfberry. This too helped and today, whenever I feel my energy level drop, I will boil this concoction to drink.

I had been having these sharp, stabbing chest pains off and on for the past year, especially when under a lot of stress. I was recently diagnosed with alpha thalassemia minor.

I have always been slightly anemic and been really sensitive to some polluted cities so it makes sense. I have been taking reishi spore oil capsules for a few months though, and I don't have the pains anymore and I just recently took a trip to the city and did not experience any of the swelling and fatigue I normally have.

Reishi Oil is pretty expensive, but I also found oxygen enzyme drops like cell food worked well in the past too. I just find I am pretty sensitive to supplements or pollution, etc. If I eat poorly, I feel like crap. If I go all green, with fresh juices, etc., I feel a super rush -- almost too much at first. So I think it's all in the way you treat your body, and just be more aware of your exercise routine, and dietary needs.

My mom had thalassemia minor beta. I was always told that I was anemic. Well, my blood level was a 6. I was put on iron pills, took them for a year and the pills raised it to a 7 one time then it fell back down to a 6 again. They were doing me no good. The doctor did tests and the first thing he asked me if I was from the Mediterranean. I said no, but maybe my grandfather was. I never knew him or anything about him. It was passed down to my mom and then to me and I think my daughter may have it.

He told me to stop taking the iron pills, that they might do more harm than good and there was nothing that was going to make the iron blood count higher than it is. The doctor said that it's inherited and there's nothing I can do about it. If it gets worse, then blood transfusions are in order, but he did say over and over, too much iron is like a normal person's number for people with thalassemia.

I had a diagnoses of thalassemia when I had my second child. They didn't tell me the type tho they just said at some point I would need a blood transfusion and then gave me prescription iron pills since they are a higher dose. So what do I do to find out the type I have? They said it wasn't bad enough to refer me to a hematologist, but then I still feel crappy every day. This diagnosis made sense, though. I fainted about two times as a teen. I'm now 24.

I had enlarged organs like my spleen and liver and experienced pain from it and before being diagnosed with that, when they told me my liver and spleen were enlarged, I asked the doctor what it meant and she said well, basically there was nothing I could do, that it wasn't a big deal and I asked myself how can this be? Of course it's a big deal. I'm a healthy person. I eat healthy, take care of my body and I have this. I don't know how to get help, The pain, the lack of sleep with two kids and the fatigue gives me headaches and I have chest pains like my heart sometimes beats so fast I can see it beating through my skin and it scares me. Help!

Well I got into a big discussion about TM yesterday with a cousin telling me I needed to get checked because my dad’s two brothers and cousin have it and my mother is borderline anemic. I guess I was wrong about not needing to get it checked.

I’m a 41 year old divorced mother of three older teens and I’ve been tired more than the average (occasionally a nap helps rejuvenate me) and also have cold hands and feet constantly. I’ve fainted before and my eldest daughter has fainted, too. Ten years ago I changed my diet and added more exercise due to feminine problems, but it appears from reading all these posts that TM may be the underlying problem.

Two things I can really attest to are drinking plenty of water and eating healthy gives me more energy. I’ve had my colon and gallbladder checked (I just recently got enlightened about TM. Eleven years ago all my dad’s side said was to take B12 and Folic Acid but no in-depth information was provided), because this pain wouldn’t go away but as soon as I added more green leafy food to my diet and I feel better along with eating Greek yogurt daily or almost daily.

Almost every morning I have a healthy smoothie along with anything else I want for breakfast in moderation. My smoothie consists of half fruit and half vegetables, like fresh spinach, fresh kale, some raisins, strawberries or frozen strawberries, bananas, apples, and no sugar. Two out of my three teens enjoy it. I can’t please everyone.

I was diagnosed with thalassemia when I was 18 years old when I was trying to enter the Argentine Air Force, and they kicked me out quickly. Over the years, different doctors told me stupid things like "you need to consume more iron" (?). Now I'm 26 years old, and I have several blood problems. Apart form the fatigue, tiredness, lack of concentration and other symptoms, my spleen has hurt for several months, and I have blood circulation problems (I read that the iron stuck in the heart like cholesterol).

But I discovered something: heating natural garlic in the food kicks away (in some percentage) some of these issues. I don't know how. Maybe it kicks the iron out of the heart or something like that. So, if some of you experiment as I do, I recommend trying garlic for a week and see if it is better.

I'm 12 and have Thalassemia Minor. I'm fairly certain I got it from my mom, but I don't know. When I was younger, I had pneumonia about seven times, a seizure, RSV, and part of my left lung collapsed (I also had a kidney problem). I'm fine now, but I recently found out about Thalassemia.

I have tons of questions, and haven't really noticed any problems. My family talks about how I need iron and whatnot, but other than that, I haven't really heard of anything else until now. I don't have cold hands, but my feet are always cold. If anyone knows anything else, just say something! I have questions!

Thalassemia Minor non symptomatic is a joke. Try existing daily with constant fatigue and every move being an effort. I'm noticing that many individuals with TM have suffered gallbladder issues. I'm curious if there is a connection. The trait was passed onto me by my father and both of us have had gallbladder problems. My father's were unfortunately so bad he died from complications.

I was born jaundiced and anemic, and I wasn't diagnosed with thalassemia minor until I was 27 years old. At that time, I was pregnant and underwent gallbladder surgery. Post surgery, I had two transfusions, after which I had more energy than I could remember in my life. That energy, however, was short-lived, and my body returned to its usual chronic fatigue.

I'm now 67 years old, and I've had to force myself to function throughout my years of career work, marriage and parenthood. Having been retired for almost 10 years now, I've done some traveling, but not without my usual fatigue accompanying me on my trips (and always upon returning home, I feel for days as though I've been run over by a truck!).

I totally empathize with all those who have posted here.

If you have questions about Thalassemia and are not finding a knowledgeable physician to test/treat you, please contact the Cooley's Anemia Foundation and ask for their recommendation for a doctor in your area, also there are some great internet resources.

"cold feet and hands, anemia, constant fatigue, horrible stamina, all from thalassemia minor."

So true! There is no real "treatment" for Thalassemia Minor. I had surgery a few years ago and before the surgery they checked my levels. I was quite low and so they gave me a few units of blood.

I go for another surgery (just knee surgery - nothing serious) next week and they will do the same. Unfortunately, I just got over having my period and I am sure my levels will be low again. I will probably need another transfusion.

I am 32 years old and I have a normal life. I work hard, am married (no children but not due to the Thalassemia) and travel. The only difference is that I am constantly tired. I sleep about 10 hours at night and that gives me enough energy for the day. I also eat smaller meals full of fiber and iron throughout the day which also helps. If I eat a big meal, it just makes me more tired.

I try to walk about 2.5 miles a few times a week and this also helps with the energy levels.

At times I get so tired that I literally need to sleep immediately. This has happened just a few times over the last 10 years. The worst time was when we were walking through New York City at night in November a few years back. I had to sit down against a building and my husband stood watch while I slept for about 20 minutes. Usually I can sleep in my car on a break if it gets bad enough during a work day.

Thankfully my husband is completely understanding.

A doctor specializing in travel health would probably be best able to answer concerns about thalassemia minor and traveling to high altitudes. Remember: a modern jet cabin is pressurized to about 5,000 feet. I don't have any such conditions, but at 9,600 feet in Colorado, I got pretty winded pretty quickly. Talk to a doctor.

RE: Curious. Is there a magic number as to how high of an altitude you can travel to without complications? I am hoping to travel to Peru and Machu Picchu, but I don't know if that's possible because I have Thalassemia Minor.

I have also thalassemia and I haven't experienced problems during the flights. I'm sure that some of theme were about 10,000 meters - the pilot usually says this. I've traveled a lot in my life. If the flight is long you may feel tired as the rest of the passengers I think, so drink a lot of water and eat fruit.

My son is 18 years old and has thalassemia minor. Last year he had jaundice and his bilirubin count reached 6. He got all tests done and his liver is OK, gradually, the bilirubin went to 3 and then he went home. After a year he still looks yellow and his bilirubin is 6. How can his bilirubin come to normal? What precautions can be taken? Please, anybody, help!

all of you that have Thalassemia minor make up your mind, no one will ever tell you what the hell to do to fight with this terrible feeling of constant fatigue, no one will ever understand this fatigue of yours.

the periods of time when normal people also feel a bit sleepy because of humidity on the air, or slow changing of seasons are the worst. I cannot get up of the bed in the morning. My brain does not function very well either, and I am nervous all day.

I feel desperate when i try to check on the internet for new treatments discovered or anything new that medicine has discovered and i discover nothing new. They say Minor Thalassemia has no symptoms which is also irritating and offensive. Is it my bad diagnostics (i do not have Thalassemia minor at all but something else?) or do all of you feel the same?

whoever says thalassemia minor is non symptomatic is dead wrong and ignorant. cold feet and hands, anemia, constant fatigue, horrible stamina, all from thalassemia minor.

Curious. Is there a magic number as to how high of an altitude you can travel to without complications? I am hoping to travel to Peru and Machu Picchu, but I don't know if that's possible because I have Thalassemia Minor.

I have Thalassemia minor and have known about it all my life. There are no reasons why you cannot lead a normal, healthy life. The only problem will be the deficiency in iron - without good iron levels your body gets tired more than the average person. You also need iron in your body to help with the healing/immune process.

Now if you have Thalassemia minor and you create a child with a partner that also has Thalassemia minor, there is a very high chance the child will be born with Thalassemia Major. I actually have a friend with the Major type, and she has to take regular daily medication and have monthly blood transfusions. There is a lot of medical support today for this blood disorder.

In history the life expectancy of someone with Thalassemia major was about 20 years old. These days if you take your medication and have regular transfusions an check ups you will live a normal long life. But as for Thalassemia minor, just eat healthy, keep your iron levels up and when you're tired, sleep! Your body really needs it.

my seven year old son was diagnosed having thalassemia minor. I'm eager to know more about this and its possible complications.

I'm a housewife and a mother of two children. during my first pregnancy i came to know that i have thalassemia minor. at that point it was 2-3 percent but at this time it is 11-13 percent. What is that? it increases day by day.

if it's minor- (which is what I have) you child is just a carrier of the trait and is non symptomatic.

my two year old child is having thalassemia minor. i want to know about the treatment, and the near future results of it. please help.