Outline of treatment in thalassaemia.
A thalassaemia patient requires lifelong treatment and it is:
No oral or parenteral iron therapy to correct anaemia.
Transfusion therapy (repeated)—with a target Hb concentration of 9.5–10 g/dL.
Previous target of therapy with hypertransfusion (Hb kept >10 g/dL) and
supertransfusion (Hb kept >12 g/dL) is not popular nowadays.
Iron chelation with desferrioxamine, if indicated.
Folic acid 5 mg/day continued lifelong to replace the increased demand due to
ineffective erythropoiesis. Antibiotics, as and when necessary, to treat infections.
Splenectomy (in requirement of excessive blood transfusions, mechanical problems
and features of hypersplenism) which is preceded by pneumococcal, H. influenzae
and meningococcal vaccine.
Definitive therapy: Allogenic bone marrow transplantation.
Gene therapy with genetic counselling.
NB: Thalassaemia minor only requires folic acid (5 mg/day) therapy with genetic
counselling.
A thalassaemia patient requires lifelong treatment and it is:
No oral or parenteral iron therapy to correct anaemia.
Transfusion therapy (repeated)—with a target Hb concentration of 9.5–10 g/dL.
Previous target of therapy with hypertransfusion (Hb kept >10 g/dL) and
supertransfusion (Hb kept >12 g/dL) is not popular nowadays.
Iron chelation with desferrioxamine, if indicated.
Folic acid 5 mg/day continued lifelong to replace the increased demand due to
ineffective erythropoiesis. Antibiotics, as and when necessary, to treat infections.
Splenectomy (in requirement of excessive blood transfusions, mechanical problems
and features of hypersplenism) which is preceded by pneumococcal, H. influenzae
and meningococcal vaccine.
Definitive therapy: Allogenic bone marrow transplantation.
Gene therapy with genetic counselling.
NB: Thalassaemia minor only requires folic acid (5 mg/day) therapy with genetic
counselling.