HEALTH
SSickle Cellickle Cell &
Thalassaemia
SCREENING IN EARLY PREGNANCY
What are sickle cell and thalassaemia disorders?
Sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia major are serious, inherited blood disorders. They affect
haemoglobin, a part of the blood that carries oxygen around the body. People who have these
conditions will need specialist care throughout their lives.
Sickle cell disorders How are they passed on?
People with sickle cell disorders: Sickle cell and thalassaemia are inherited disorders that are passed on from parents to children
• can have attacks of very severe pain through unusual haemoglobin genes.
• can get serious, life-threatening infections
• are usually anaemic (which means that People only have these disorders if they inherit two unusual haemoglobin genes – one from
their bodies have diffi culty carrying their mother, and one from their father. People who inherit just one unusual gene are known
oxygen), and as ‘carriers’. (Some people call this having a ‘trait’.)
• need medicines and injections when they
are children and throughout Carriers are healthy and do not have the disorders.
• the rest of their lives to prevent
infections.
But if a carrier has a baby with someone else who is also a carrier (or who has one
of the disorders), there is a chance that their baby could inherit a disorder.
Thalassaemia major
People with thalassaemia major:
Who can be a carrier?
• are very anaemic (their bodies have
Anyone can be a healthy carrier. But you are more likely to carry the unusual genes if your
diffi culty carrying oxygen)
ancestors came from places where malaria has been common.
• need blood transfusions every four to six
weeks, and
This is because being a carrier can help to protect people against malaria.
• need injections and medicines throughout
their lives.
This means you are more likely to be a carrier if your ancestors came from the Mediterranean
(for example Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, Spain), Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, India,
There are also other, less common, haemoglobin
Pakistan, South America or south and south-east Asia.
P
disorders. Many of these are not as serious.
What tests are involved? All pregnant women are offered a blood test for If this shows you are at low risk, you may not be
Screening involves a simple blood test. thalassaemia. But you will not always be offered offered the blood test for sickle cell. But you can
Ideally the best time to have the test is before you a blood test for sickle cell. You may be given a always ask for the test if you want it.
are 10 weeks pregnant. questionnaire to fi nd out where your family – and
the family of your baby’s father – come from. For mor info contacts the following:
Sickle Cell and Thalassaernia Screening Programme
Division of Health and Social Care Research. King's College London School of Medicine. | 7th Floor, Capital House, 47 Weston St, SE 13 QD
Tel: 020 7848 6634 Fax: 020 7848 6620 Email:
haemscreening@kcl.ac.uk | Website:
http://www.screening.nhs.uk/sicklecellandthalassaemia
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