Difference Between Thalassemia and Anemia
Different blood components are present and they perform different functions to keep our bodies healthy. RBC or red blood cells are part of our blood and they carry oxygen in our bodies. RBC has the hemoglobin molecule that binds the oxygen molecule and carries it from the lungs to tissues in different parts of our body. Anemia is caused due to lesser number of RBCs in the blood stream and this can cause complications. Severe anemia causes even cardiac arrest. Thalassemia causes severe anemia if not treated. Anemia can be found by a simple blood test wherein hemoglobin is measured.
What is Anemia?
Anemia is the reduction in the minimum number of RBCs in our blood stream required to perform the job of carrying oxygen to different parts of our body. Anemia can be caused by many things and the single most common is malnutrition because if we do not eat an iron rich diet it leads to lack of iron in body which causes anemia. Anemia is also caused due to blood loss because of an injury or a bleeding ulcer. Anemia can be cured by the taking iron rich diet, medicines or blood transfusion.
What is Thalassemia?
Thalassemia is a genetic disorder in which the body is unable to produce RBCs and this causes severe anemia. Thalassemia is caused by the way inheritance of mutant genes of hemoglobin from parents to children. In this case the parents live in good health throughout their lives keeping mutant genes but their child shows up thalassemia when both the mutated genes are acquired from parents. Thalassemia causes severe anemia and this can be detected within 3 months of birth. Only way to treat this type of anemia is blood transfusion.