What is thalassemia? It is a disorder where abnormal production of the red blood cells occurs. The main function of the cells is to carry oxygen. If low production of red blood cells occurs it can lead to anaemia. You are bound to have a sense of fatigue and feel weak all the time. Pale skin, dark urine or abnormal swelling is all come symptoms at this point of time. It is an inherited condition and it could be figured out during the early stages of childhood. People who are prone to this disorder may need blood transfusion. This is the same case with moderate to mild thalassemia. In case of people suffering from severe thalassemia stem cell therapy works out to be a common option.
The Treatment?
During the course of treatment the components of blood are required at a particular location. If you need frequent transfusions there is a chance that iron may found in your blood as well. In that case you would need to confuse medicines in order to flush out the excess iron from your body. Stem cell therapy that also goes by the name of bone marrow transplant works out to be a process where the stem cells of a patient are transported. In fact these stem cells are taken from a patient or from that of a donor. This is an effective procedure for children who are suffering from severe thalassemia. If you do it a young age the chances of blood transfusion needed throughout the life reduces.
Who is Eligible and who are not Eligible for this Treatment?
People who do face symptoms of constant fatigue and have a pale skin along with dark urine are the prime candidates for this operation. In most cases it does work out to be an inherited disorder as well.
In case if you are already some form of medical interventions in order to cope up with the problem, then you would have to stop the further course of treatment.
Any Side Effects
As already stated this does go on to build a lot of iron in blood. You would need to take medicines in order to flush out the iron from the body.
The Post Treatment Guidelines
You can protect yourself from infections by washing your hands with soap. In order to increase the supply of red blood cells in your body you need to take folic acid. On the other hand your diet should be adequate and need to include vitamin D and calcium in large amounts. Do not get into the consumption of any supplements where the iron content is on the higher side.
In terms of recovery the procedure does not take a long time. If it is severe it may take a few days to a few years as well. The key point would be that you need transfusions on a regular basis as well. Thalassemia treatment cost in India works out to be lowest in the world. In addition you get quality treatment as well.
