During the \”International Thalassemia Day\” large-scale free clinic event jointly organized by the Guangdong Provincial Thalassemia Association and Beijing Novartis Pharmaceuticals, free clinic experts from major hospitals such as Nanfang Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital once again appealed, Citizens should raise their awareness of preventing thalassemia and screen for thalassemia early through pre-marital, pregnancy and prenatal check-ups to avoid the birth of children with severe thalassemia from bringing irreversible tragedy to families.
Thalassemia can be screened during pre-marital examinations, pregnancy, and prenatal checkups. Wu Xuedong, executive director and secretary-general of the Guangdong Provincial Thalassemia Prevention and Control Association and deputy chief physician of pediatrics at Nanfang Hospital, said that thalassemia can be completely prevented, and the key is to screen thalassemia gene carriers as early as possible. (thalassemia minor). According to reports, 1 in every 9 people in Guangdong carries the thalassemia gene. Some Cantonese people have long-term ugly complexions, which may be the cause of mild thalassemia. They have almost no symptoms and can be considered normal people and do not need treatment. However, if both spouses are carriers of the thalassemia gene, the child may have thalassemia major. Therefore, screening for thalassemia before pregnancy is very important.
Wu Xuedong said that the simplest thing is to do a blood routine during premarital examination or pregnancy examination. If the wife\’s average hemoglobin volume (mcv) is lower than the normal value, she may be a thalassemia gene carrier, and the husband should also go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. Wu Xuedong said that those with thalassemia in the family, those who have had stillbirths, and those with low MVC of both husband and wife belong to the high-risk group for thalassemia. In addition to routine blood examinations, further hemoglobin electrophoresis screening and genetic diagnosis should be performed.
Even if premarital and pregnancy check-ups are not done, the crisis can still be avoided if the pregnant woman is found to be a carrier of the thalassemia gene during prenatal check-up. The spouse of a pregnant woman should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. If both parties are found to be carriers of the same type of thalassemia gene, there is a 1/4 chance that the fetus will be normal and a 1/2 chance that it will be a gene carrier (ie, mild thalassemia). There is a 1/4 chance of developing thalassemia major. Next, prenatal genetic diagnosis can be performed on the fetus in the pregnant woman\’s womb by drawing amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood. If genetic diagnosis finds that the fetus is normal or has mild thalassemia, the pregnancy can be continued. If the fetus is found to have moderate or severe thalassemia, doctors will advise the pregnant woman to terminate the pregnancy.
Couples of childbearing age need to increase their prevention awareness. \”The birth of a child with severe thalassemia brings an unbearable mental and financial burden to the family.\” According to Zhou Dunhua, associate professor of pediatrics at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, the biggest impact is severe thalassemia. Anemia and thalassemia major. The former often results in fetal stillbirth or death shortly after birth. The impact of thalassemia major is even greater. Children usually develop the disease 3 to 6 months after birth and require expensive treatment costs of three to four thousand yuan per month, which will bring more long-term mental and financial burdens. Since hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to treat thalassemia is limited by factors such as donors and matching types, most children with thalassemia major must rely on lifelong blood transfusions to survive, but blood transfusions alone are not enough to fight the disease.
Zhou Dunhua said that the public’s understanding of thalassemia is stillVery lacking. Most of them do not understand the dangers of thalassemia, and even if they know, they think money can cure it. There are still more than 500 new cases of severe thalassemia in Guangzhou every year. This is all because no attention was paid to it and prenatal screening was not done before pregnancy.
