Alpha Thalassemia Treatment & Management

  • Author: Samer A Bleibel, MD; Chief Editor: Emmanuel C Besa, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 10, 2012
 

Medical Care

  • Avoid iron supplementation as it contributes to iron overload and does not affect hematologic values or cell morphology.
  • Administer folate supplementation to provide adequate amounts of the vitamin for increased utilization resulting from the hemolytic process and high bone marrow turnover rate.
  • Provide prompt attention to infection, especially in children who have had splenectomy, and administer appropriate vaccines to these individuals.
  • Administer blood transfusions only if necessary.
  • If chronic transfusion is needed (hemoglobin H disease), iron chelation therapy should be considered to avoid iron overloading.
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Surgical Care

  • Hemoglobin H disease
    • Perform splenectomy if transfusion requirements are increasing.
    • Surgical or orthodontic correction may be necessary to correct skeletal deformities of the skull and maxilla caused by erythroid hyperplasia.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Samer A Bleibel, MD  Staff Physician, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, St John's Hospital and Medical Centers

Samer A Bleibel, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Robert J Leonard, MD  Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jennifer L Jones-Crawford, MD  Fellow, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Medical College of Georgia

Jennifer L Jones-Crawford, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians and American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Abdullah Kutlar, MD  Director of Sickle Cell Center, Fellowship Program Director, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Georgia

Abdullah Kutlar, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Linda K Hendricks, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, Mercer University School of Medicine

Linda K Hendricks, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Wadie F Bahou, MD  Chief, Division of Hematology, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Director, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Wadie F Bahou, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Marcel E Conrad, MD  Distinguished Professor of Medicine (Retired), University of South Alabama College of Medicine

Marcel E Conrad, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Blood Banks, American Chemical Society, American College of Physicians, American Physiological Society, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Society of Hematology, Association of American Physicians, Association of Military Surgeons of the US, International Society of Hematology, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, and Southwest Oncology Group

Disclosure: No financial interests None None

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP  Southwest Medical Consultants, SC, Department of Medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital, Advocate Health Systems

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Emmanuel C Besa, MD  Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Kimmel Cancer Center, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University

Emmanuel C Besa, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Education, American College of Clinical Pharmacology, American Federation for Medical Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

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Peripheral smear from a patient with hemoglobin H disease showing target cells, microcytosis, hypochromia, and anisopoikilocytosis. Morphological abnormalities are similar to those observed in beta thalassemia. In alpha2 thalassemia (silent trait), only mild microcytosis is observed.
 
 
 
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