Pregnancy risk

Couples who are both carriers have a 25% risk of getting a child with thalassaemia on every pregnancy. If your child has thalassaemia, he or she will require regular blood transfusion to replace damaged blood cells. The repeated transfusion causes iron built-up in the body that endangers the patient. It has to be removed at regular intervals via a treatment called iron chelation. Iron chelation using desferal injections has to be done over 8 - 10 hours every day for 5 or 6 times a week.

Spread the word

Thalassaemia can be prevented. There is no risk of children having thalassaemia if just 1 of the parents is a carrier. If you are a carrier, make sure that your children go for thalassaemia screening. Being a carrier also means that at least one of your parents is a carrier. There is a chance that your relatives may not be aware that they are also carriers. Get them to undergo screening as well.

Ignore Thalassaemia?

Malaysia is in the thalassaemia belt which stretches from the Mediterranean to South East Asia. Sabah has the highest number of thalassaemia patients in Malaysia, mostly within the Kadazan Dusun ethnic group. In Peninsular Malaysia, Malays account for the majority of thalassamia patient in the region. If you are a carrier, there is a risk of marrying another carrier and risking having children who have thalassaemia.

Don't wait until the weddings invitation has be sent before undergoing thalassaemia screening. It may be too late to cancel the wedding or too distressful to accept the reality if both persons are carriers.