What is beta thalassemia?

Also known as: thalassemia, beta thalassemia major, beta thalassemia minor.

Thalassemia is a medical condition in which the body makes less hemoglobin than usual. It causes anemia. There are two types of thalassemia, alpha and beta. Beta thalassemia impacts two different types of genes. When these genes are damaged or missing, it can cause beta thalassemia.

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Reviewed by: Athena Pefkarou, MD

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM