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Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder where there is defective and inadequate production of blood. haemoglobin is low in these children and they require lifelong monthly blood transfusions. Thalassemia is passed from parents to children through mutated haemoglobin genes.
Haemoglobin has four protein chains, two alpha and two betas. The child suffers from thalassemia major when there is a defect in the beta-globin chain due to mutation in the beta-globin gene. When both parents are carriers of the mutation, there is a 25% chance that the child can be affected. Carriers of thalassemia or thalassemia traits do not have any symptoms.