Alpha Thalassemia Center - Lowell, MALowell 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 Lowell * Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Hematology Oncology  Children's Hospital Boston Laboratory Medicine  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Hematologic & Malignant Bone Marrow Transplant  Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Brigham & Women's Hospital Hematology  MGH Cancer Center Chairman  Mattapan Obstetrics & Pediatrics  Commonwealth Oncology  Arthur Church MD Lowell, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-19
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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:
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Nearby Lowell Hospitals *Saints Medical Center Lowell General Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center Tewksbury Hospital Isham Health Center Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Lawrence General Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network  Southern New Hampshire Medical Center  St Joseph Hospital  Lahey Clinic Medical Center  Emerson Hospital  Nashoba Valley Medical Center  HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital  Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill  Merrimack Valley Hospital  Winchester Hospital  Baldpate Hospital  Parkland Medical Center  Hampstead Hospital  Melrose Wakefield Hospital  McLean Hospital  Lawrence Memorial Hospital  North Shore Medical Center  Somerville Hospital  Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore  Mount Auburn Hospital  Whidden Memorial Hospital  Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center  Cambridge Hospital  Newton Wellesley Hospital  Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center  Franciscan Hospital for Children  Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital  Kindred Hospital Boston  Arbour HRI Hospital  North Shore Children's Hospital  Salem Hospital & the Birthplace  Beverly Hospital  M I T Medical  Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital  Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital  Massachusetts General Hospital  Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary  Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital  UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center  Children's Hospital Boston  Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Brigham & Women's Hospital  HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus  Tufts New England Medical Center  Elliot Hospital  New England Baptist Hospital  VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus  Anna Jaques Hospital  UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital  Boston Medical Center  Arbour Hospital  Health Alliance Burbank Hospital  Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick  MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital  Radius Specialty Hospital Boston  Bournewood Hospital  Catholic Medical Center  MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital  Faulkner Hospital  Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham  Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged  Lemuel Shattuck Hospital  Manchester VA Medical Center  Massachusetts Mental Health Center  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus  Westborough State Hospital 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. |
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Jaundice
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Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Heart Rhythm Disorders)
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Beta Thalassemia
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G6PD Deficiency
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