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Thalassemia

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Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling

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Abstract

The term thalassemia was first applied to the anemias encountered frequently in people of the Italian and Greek coasts and nearby islands. The term now refers to a group of inherited disorders of globin chain synthesis. Thalassemia comprises of a group of hemoglobinopathies, which are classified according to the specific globin chain (α or β) whose synthesis is impaired. Thus, α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia are depression of synthesis of the respective chain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical genetics, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Shreveport, LA, USA

    Harold Chen

  2. Perinatal and Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, LSU Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71130, USA

    Harold Chen

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  1. Harold Chen
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Correspondence to Harold Chen .

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Chen, H. (2016). Thalassemia. In: Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6430-3_227-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6430-3_227-2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6430-3

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