Both the parents showed an alfa/non alfa ratio typical of beta thalassemia. Therefore, the mother has to be considered a "silent" carrier of the trait. The daughters and the son have a less severe ...

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder characterised by the body's inability to produce enough haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body.

If she is, her husband is tested too. If both are carriers, we counsel them and show them patients suffering from thalassemia. We then conduct a serious sampling of the fetus. If it’s a carrier ...