Is alpha thalassemia genetic?
Is alpha thalassemia genetic?
Because alpha thalassemia is inherited, family history and ancestry can help diagnose this blood disorder. A parent with alpha globin-making genes that are altered or missing, may have a child with a form of alpha thalassemia. Each child has a 25 percent chance of inheriting one, two or three missing genes.
What does it mean to have alpha thalassemia trait?
People with alpha thalassemia trait only have 2 genes for alpha globin, so their bodies make slightly less hemoglobin than normal. This trait was passed on from their parents, like hair color or eye color. A trait is different from a disease. Alpha thalassemia trait is not a disease.
How do you get alpha thalassemia trait?
Alpha thalassemia trait is inherited. It occurs when two of the genes that cause production of the hemoglobin part (mentioned above) are missing. Most often in African Americans, each parent passes along one missing gene. In Asians, both missing genes can be passed from the same parent.
How is thalassemia trait inherited?
To be born with the main type of thalassaemia, beta thalassaemia, a child has to inherit a copy of the faulty beta thalassaemia gene from both of their parents. This usually happens when both parents are “carriers” of the faulty gene, also known as having the “thalassaemia trait”.
What happens if both parents have alpha thalassemia?
If both parents carry alpha thalassemia trait in which the two abnormal genes of each parent are on opposite chromosomes, their children will inherit alpha thalassemia trait.
What if both parents have alpha thalassemia trait?
If both parents have the trans form of alpha thalassemia trait (α-/α-), all of their children will have alpha thalassemia trait. Alpha thalassemia trait normally does not cause any health problems. People with alpha thalassemia trait can have small red blood cells and a low red blood count (mild anemia).
Can thalassemia trait skip a generation?
Thalassemia is an inherited condition. The genes received from one’s parents before birth determine whether a person will have thalassemia. Thalassemia cannot be caught or passed on to another person.
Do both parents have to have alpha thalassemia?
Alpha thalassemia is passed from parents to children. The way it is inherited varies and is complex. If both parents have the gene defect, each of their children has a risk of having alpha thalassemia major. They are also at risk for having hemoglobin H disease, and of being a carrier.
What happens if both parents are silent carriers of alpha thalassemia?
What does it mean to be a thalassemia carrier?
Thalassemia trait is NOT THE DISEASE.
Is thalassemia a genetic disease?
Thalassemia is genetic in nature. To develop full thalassemia, both of your parents must be carriers of the disease. As a result, you will have two mutated genes. It’s also possible to become a carrier of thalassemia, where you only have one mutated gene and not two from both parents.
Does alpha thalassemia cause leukemia?
No: Alpha and beta thalassemia have not been reported to cause leukemia, which is cancer of the white blood cells. There is a study of beta thal.
