Alpha Thalassemia Center - Irving, TXIrving Hematologist Doctors for Alpha ThalassemiaType of Physician: Hematologist What is a Hematologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine or Pathology; Hematologists treat diseases of the blood, spleen, and lymph glands such as anemia, clotting disorders, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, leukemia, and lymphoma. They perform special types of transfusions and biopsy the bone marrow for analysis. Specialty: Hematology Common Name: Blood Doctor Hematologist Doctors in Irving * Ameripath Laboratory  Marlon F Levy MD  Texas Oncology Forth Worth  Texas Oncology Forth Worth  Texas Oncology Forth Worth Irving, TexasUpcoming Local Events2012-06-02
2012-06-16
2012-06-16
2012-06-16
2012-06-17
2012-07-13
2012-08-18
2012-09-08
2012-11-03
2012-11-11
Alpha and Beta ThalassemiaRead the Alpha and Beta Thalassemia article » What are thalassemias?Thalassemias (thal-a-SE-me-ahs) are inherited blood disorders. "Inherited" means they're passed on from parents to children through genes. Thalassemias cause the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin (HEE-muh-glow-bin) than normal. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein in red blood cells. It carries oxygen to all parts of the body. It also carries carbon dioxide (a waste gas) from the body to the lungs, where it's exhaled. People who have thalassemias can have mild or severe anemia (uh-NEE-me-uh). This condition is caused by a lower than normal number of red blood cells or not enough hemoglobin in the red blood cells.
What Causes Thalassemias?Your body makes three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (PLATE-lets). Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body. Hemoglobin also carries carbon dioxide (a waste gas) from your body to your lungs to be exhaled. Hemoglobin has two kinds of protein chains: alpha globin and beta globin. If your body doesn't make enough of these protein chains, red blood cells don't form properly and can't carry enough oxygen. Your body won't work well if your red blood cells don't make enough healthy hemoglobin. Genes control how the body makes hemoglobin protein chains. When these genes are missing or altered, thalassemias occur. Thalassemias are inherited disorders. That is, they're passed on from parents to their children through genes. People who get abnormal hemoglobin genes from one parent but normal genes from the other are called carriers. Carriers often have no signs of illness other than mild anemia. However, they can pass the abnormal genes on to their children. People with moderate to severe forms of thalassemia have inherited abnormal genes from... Recommended Reading Related to Alpha ThalassemiaIntroduction to ArrhythmiaAn irregular heartbeat is an arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia). Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates don't necessarily occur together. Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or with heart rates that are slow (called bradyarrhythmias -- less than 50 beats per minute). Arrhythmias can also occur with rapid heart rates (called tachyarrhythmias -- faster than 100 beats per minute). In the United States, more than 850,000 people are hospitalized for an arrhythmia each year. What causes an arrhythmia?Arrhythmias may be caused by many different factors, including:
Other Related Alpha Thalassemia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Irving
Nearby Irving Hospitals *Baylor Medical Center at Irving Texas Specialty Hospital at Dallas Las Colinas Medical Center Children's Medical Center of Dallas LifeCare Specialty Hospital of Dallas  UT Southwestern Medical Center University Hospital St Paul  UT Southwestern Medical Center  Irving Coppell Surgical Hospital  Parkland Health & Hospital System  UT Southwestern Medical Center University Hospital Zale Lipshy  Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children  Methodist Dallas Medical Center  RHD Memorial Medical Center  Renaissance Hospital Dallas  Mary Shiels Hospital  Harris Methodist HEB Hospital  Harris Methodist Springwood  Baylor Specialty Hospital  Kindred Hospital Arlington  Millwood Hospital  Baylor Jack & Jane Hamilton Heart & Vascular Hospital  Baylor University Medical Center  Texas Health Memorial Hospital at Arlington  Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation  Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine  Arlington Rehabilitation Hospital  Kindred Hospital Walnut Hill  Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas  Methodist Charlton Medical Center  Dallas VA Medical Center  HEALTHSOUTH Rehabilitation Hospital of Arlington  Medical Center of Arlington  Methodist Rehabilitation Hospital  Medical City Children's Hospital  Medical City Hospital  Green Oaks Hospital  Select Specialty Hospital South Dallas  USMD Hospital at Arlington  Kindred Hospital Dallas  Southwest Surgical Hospital  Hickory Trail Hopsital  Timberlawn Mental Health System  Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake  Kindred Hospital White Rock  North Hills Hospital  Trinity Medical Center  Medical Center of Lewisville  Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano  Regency Hospital of North Dallas  Methodist Richardson Regional Medical Center  Presbyterian Hospital of Plano  Plano Specialty Hospital  Kindred Hospital Mansfield  Methodist Mansfield Medical Center  Baylor Medical Center at Garland  Baylor Specialty Hospital Garland  Baylor Medical Center at Trophy Club  HEALTHSOUTH Plano Rehabilitation Hospital  Medical Center of Plano  LifeCare Hospitals of Plano  Dallas Regional Medical Center  Baylor Medical Center at Frisco  JPS Health Network  HEALTHSOUTH Rehabilitation Hospital  Harris Continued Care Hospital  Harris Methodist Fort Worth  Cook Children's Medical Center  Kindred Hospital Fort Worth  Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth  Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth  Baylor Surgical Hospital at Fort Worth  Centennial Medical Center  Denton Regional Medical Center  Huguley Memorial Medical Center  Lake Pointe Medical Center Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Alpha Thalassemia by Our Doctors
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
16 articles-
Anemia
- Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore, decreased. Symptoms of anemia may include fatigue, malaise, hair loss, palpitations, and more. Treatment for anemia includes treating the underlying cause for the condition. Iron supplements, vitamin B12 injections, and certain medications may also be necessary.
-
Gallstones
- Gallstones are stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones (formed in the gallbladder) can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination. The majority of gallstones do not cause symptoms.
-
Arrhythmia
- An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. With an arrhythmia, the heartbeats may be irregular or too slow (bradycardia), to rapid (tachycardia), or too early. When a single heartbeat occurs earlier than normal, it is called a prmature contraction.
-
Heart Attack
- Heart attack happens when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery supplying blood to the heart muscle. A heart attack can cause chest pain, heart failure, and electrical instability of the heart.
-
Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly)
- The spleen enlarges if it is asked to do excessive work in filtering or manufacturing blood cells, if there is abnormal blood flow to it, or if it is invaded with abnormal cells or deposits. Symptoms of an enlarged spleen may include weakness and fatigue, easy bleeding, and poor white blood cell function. Treatment of an enlarged spleen is focused toward the cause of the splenomegaly. Surgery may be required to remove the spleen.
-
Jaundice
- Jaundice is a yellowish staining of the skin and whites of the eyes (sclerae) with bilirubin, the pigment found in bile. Jaundice can be an indicator of liver or gallbladder disease, or it may result from the rupture of red blood cells (hemolysis).
-
Malaria
- Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms of malaria include chills, pain, fever, and sweating. Though mild cases of malaria can be treated with oral medication, severe cases require intravenous drug treatment and fluids.
-
Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Heart Rhythm Disorders)
- Heart rhythm disorders vary from minor palpitations, premature atrial contractions (PACs), premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), sinus tachycardia, and sinus brachycardia, to abnormal heart rhythms such as tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular flutter, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), Wolf-White-Parkinson syndrome, brachycardia, or heart blocks. Treatment is dependant upon the type of heart rhythm disorder.
-
Heart Disease
- Heart disease (coronary artery disease) is caused by a buildup of cholesterol deposits in the coronary arteries. Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, high blood pressure, heredity, diabetes, peripheral artery disease, and obesity. Symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath. There are a variety of tests used to diagnose coronary artery disease. Treatment includes life-style changes, medications, procedures, or surgery.
-
Sickle Cell Disease (Sickle Cell Anemia)
- Sickle cell anemia (sickle cell disease), a blood disease which shortens life expectancy, is cause by an inherited abnormal hemoglobin. Symptoms may include bacterial infections, painful swelling of the hands and feet, fever, leg ulcers, fatigue, anemia, eye damage, and lung and heart injury. Treatment for sickle cell anemia aims to manage and prevent the worst manifestations of the disease and focuses on therapies that block red blood cells from stacking together, which can lead to tissue and organ damage and pain.
-
Puberty
- The time when boys and girls begin the process of sexual maturation is called puberty. During this time, both sexes undergo a series of biological changes that include a rapid increase in height, bone growth, weight increase, the growth of pubic hair, breast development and the onset of menstruation in girls, and testicle, penis, and muscle enlargement in boys.
-
Beta Thalassemia
- Beta Thalassemia is the most familiar type of thalassemia. Thalassemia is not just one disease but rather a complex series of genetic (inherited) disorders all of which involve underproduction of hemoglobin.
-
G6PD Deficiency
- G6PD deficiency (Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase) leads to a condition called hemolytic anemia. Causes of G6PD deficiency is an abnormal gene located in the X-chromosome, therefore, it is more common in males. Hemolytic anemia caused by G6PD deficiency generally occurs after exposure to malaria medications, antiitching drugs, and fava beans. Pneumonia and other infections can also precipitate hemolytic anemia in individuals with G6PD deficiency. Treatment is generally discontinuing the drug or compound treating infection. Blood transfusions are necessary in some individuals.
-
Heart Failure
- Heart failure is caused by many conditions including coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, and conditions that overwork the heart. Symptoms of heart failure include congested lungs, fluid and water retention, dizziness, fatigue and weakness, and rapid or irregular heartbeats.
-
Pregnancy Planning
- Pregnancy planning is important to help prevent exposure of the mother and fetus to potentially harmful medications and substances during the early days, and throughout the pregnancy. Nutritional planning, prevention of birth defects, conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease need careful monitoring. Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and pregnancy induced hypertension are conditions that may arise during pregnancy. Immunizations, inherited disorders, exercise, air travel, intercourse, and birth control are important factors to consider when planning a pregnancy.
-
Genetic Counseling
- Your health care provider may refer you to a genetic professional. Universities and medical centers also often have affiliated genetic professionals, or can provide referrals to a genetic professional or genetics clinic. Genetic counseling provides patients and family members the tools to make the right choice in regard to test for a disease or condition.
-
Anemia
-
Medications
3 articles -
Procedures & Tests
5 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
0 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
1 articles -
Health News
0 articles -
Health Features
1 articles
