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Alpha Thalassemia Center - Port Arthur, TX

Port Arthur Hematologist Doctors for Alpha Thalassemia

Type 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 Port Arthur *

UTMB Austin Internal Medicine
Jack B Alperin
301 University Blvd
Hematology
Galveston, TX 77555
(409) 747-0890

San Jacinto Methodist Hospital
Deepa Sashital
4021 Garth Rd
STE 101
Baytown, TX 77521
(281) 427-7298

Houston Cancer Clinic
Gurdeep S Sethi
203 N College Ave
STE 200-1
Cleveland, TX 77327
(281) 659-9144

Houston Cancer Clinic
Gregory T Seymour
203 N College Ave
STE 200-1
Cleveland, TX 77327
(281) 659-9144

Sahba Nadeem MD
Sahba Nadeem
11914 Astoria Blvd
STE 355
Houston, TX 77089
(281) 464-2832

Port Arthur, Texas

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Alpha and Beta Thalassemia

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 Thalassemia

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Emergency Contact for Port Arthur

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Port Arthur Hospitals *

CHRISTUS St Mary Hospital
3600 Gates Blvd
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409)985-7431

Dubuis Hospital Port Arthur
3600 Gates Blvd
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409)989-5300

Renaissance Hospital Groves
5500 39th St
Groves, TX 77619
(409)962-5733

Medical Center of Southeast Texas
2555 Jimmy Johnson Blvd
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409)724-7389

Promise Hospital of Southeast Texas
2600 Highway 365
Nederland, TX 77627
(409)726-8700

Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont
3080 College St
Beaumont, TX 77701
(409)212-5000

Harbor Hospital of Southeast Texas
608 Strickland Dr
Orange, TX 77630
(409)882-7200

Memorial Hermann Baptist Orange Hospital
608 Strickland Dr
Orange, TX 77630
(409)883-9361

Dubuis Hospital Beaumont
2830 Calder Ave
Beaumont, TX 77702
(409)899-8154

CHRISTUS St Elizabeth Hospital
2830 Calder Ave
Beaumont, TX 77702
(409)892-7171

HEALTHSOUTH Beaumont Rehabilitation Hospital
3340 Plz 10 Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77707
(409)835-0835

Winnie Community Hospital
538 Broadway
Winnie, TX 77665
(409)296-6000

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