PMID: 6983923Jan 1, 1982Paper

Hereditary anaemias: genetic basis, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment. WHO working group

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Abstract

The hereditary anaemias present a major genetic health problem that contributes considerably to childhood mortality and morbidity in many developing countries. This article summarizes recent scientific and technical advances in knowledge concerning the genes involved and their interaction to produce major haemoglobinopathies, the clinical pictures of these conditions, and their diagnostic criteria. Though there is no definitive cure, supportive treatment for the haemoglobinopathies has improved significantly, offering better quality of life and improved survival, and should be attempted for all such patients. For sickle cell disease, this comprises a simple set of rules that should be incorporated into existing medical care, whereas for thalassaemia, a regimen of intensive blood transfusion and regular subcutaneous infusion of deferoxamine is recommended. This treatment is stressful and probably too expensive to be applied in many developing countries until the birth rate of patients needing it can be sufficiently reduced by community control programmes.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anemia

Anemia develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. Anemia of inflammation (AI, also called anemia of chronic disease) is a common, typically normocytic, normochromic anemia that is caused by an underlying inflammatory disease. Here is the latest research on anemia.

Blood And Marrow Transplantation

The use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or blood and marrow transplantation (bmt) is on the increase worldwide. BMT is used to replace damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells. Here is the latest research on bone and marrow transplantation.

© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved