SYMPTOMS OF THALASSEMIA PATIENTS:
1. Thalassemia patients have overactive bone marrow that leads to enlarged and thickened head and face bones. This can lead to deformities of the head and face. For example, the upper and lower jaws are larger than normal. This can lead to problems such as:
i) Malocclusion
ii) Enlarged tongue (macroglossi)
iii) Child patients have the same normal tooth size as other children. However, due to faster rate of growth of the jaw, there may be spacing between their teeth, leading to unsightly appearance.
– They also have the tendency to have weak arms and legs that fracture easily.
2. Iron overload
The treatment for more severe thalassemia is through blood transfusions or bone marrow transplant. Regular blood transfusions can lead to iron overload, which can then lead to cardiac failure, or affect liver and endocrine system. Hence patients undergoing blood transfusion also take iron-chelating agents (such as Desferron) after transfusions to remove excess irons from the body. Desferron can be deposited on skin, thus why some of the thalassemic patients have a grayish appearance of skin.
3. Other symptoms of anemia such as shortness of breath, fatigue and pallor.
4. Shortened life span
-Those with thalassemia minor usually have a normal lifespan, but patients with thalassemia major often have their life shortened due to complications such as heart and liver failure.
