Thalassemia .

Definition of Thalassemia

Thalassemia, also known as Mediterranean Anemia, Cooley’s Anemia or Homozygous Beta Thalassemia, is a group of inherited disorders in which there is a fault in the production of hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying pigment found in red blood cells).

Description of Thalassemia

Blood is red because the red blood cells contain an oxygen-carrying substance called hemoglobin. The principal function of hemoglobin is to combine with and transport oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to all body tissues, where it is required to provide energy for the chemical reaction of all living cells.
Hemoglobin contains a large amount of iron. When red blood cells are broken down, most of the iron from the hemoglobin is used again to make new hemoglobin.
In the case of thalassemia the hemoglobin is fragile and breaks down sooner than normal, thus leaving the person with not enough hemoglobin in their body. This lack of hemoglobin causes anemia.
There are different types of anemia. The most common is iron-deficiency anemia. This happens when people do not have enough hemoglobin because they’re not eating enough of the foods that contain iron .
Thalassemia is a different type of anemia. This happens when people do not have enough hemoglobin and is caused by the inheritance of a defective gene.
There are two forms of thalassemia:

Thalassemia trait
People with thalassemia trait carry thalassemia, but they are not ill. They are healthy and normal, however, some may have slight anemia.
People with thalassemia trait also have slightly more hemoglobin called hemoglobin A2 in their blood.
Thalassemia trait is present at birth, it remains the same for life, and it can be handed down from parents to children.
Thalassemia major
This a very serious blood disease that begins in early childhood.
Children with thalassemia major are normal at birth but become anemic between the age of three months and eighteen months. They become pale, do not sleep well, do not want to eat, and may vomit frequently after feedings.
If thalassemia major goes untreated, children usually die between one and eight years of age.

Causes and Risk Factors of Thalassemia

Thalassemia is a genetically determined disease. It tends to be found in individuals whose families come from the Mediterranean region, Africa, and sometimes Asia.

Symptoms of Thalassemia

People with thalassemia major may experience the following:

• Paleness
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Jaundice
• Spleen enlargement

Diagnosis of Thalassemia

The diagnosis of thalassemia trait and thalassemia major is made from microscopic examination of the blood, which shows many small, pale red blood cells.

SUMMER DIARRHOEA AND ITS MANAGEMENT

 

Beware of summer diarrhoea

During summer a lot of cases of diarrhoea are reported to every doctor, clinic and hospital. With temperature going up, the number of cases of diarrhoea also seem to be keeping pace. Though it seems a common and a harmless trouble, it is one of the biggest killers, more so in the case of children and infants. More than 15 lakh children die due to this seemingly innoccuous malady. It is, in fact the second biggest killer of children.
Considering its potential danger, every parent should know about the causes, prevention, treatment and management of diarrhoea and the various danger signs associated with it. First of all, let us understand that it is not the temperature per se that is responsible. It has to do with infections. Hot weather provides a very conducive environment for the bacteria and the viruses to grow quickly. They are present in large numbers almost everywhere and pose a strong threat to everyone. The slightest carelesness while taking water or food from a source about which you are not very sure can catch you unawares quickly. Therefore, it makes sense to carry your own water bottle in summers. This small precaution can be a big help in preventing an infection from reaching your digestive system.
A common practice in our country is to keep edibles uncovered. This is commonly seen in almost every market of our cities. Flies, mosquitoes and other insects can infect an edible substance in a very short time, making it unfit for human consumption as the bacteria and viruses start multiplying quickly at a furious rate. These micro-organisms are not visible to the naked eye, but they are there all the same. So, do not think that if you have not seen houseflies making a meal of your salad, it is safe and uninfected. It may still be carrying enough germs to cause a violent infection. It is better to consume fruits and vegetables immediately after cutting.
One more common source of catching infection happens to be the swimming pools. While taking a bath before and after a swim is advocated everywhere, it is not religiously adhered to. There is also the possibility that the water may not be clean enough or may not have been changed for quite a few days. Try not to swallow water from the pool. It is always better to take all the precautions if you are fond of swimming. Having a bath with soap after swimming is always recommended and can be of immense help in preventing infections.

Dehydration and its signs

The biggest threat that diarrhoea causes is from the loss of vital fluids and electrolytes. It can cause serious dehydration. The signs of dehydration are increased thirst, dryness of the mouth, a decreased output of urine, the dark yellow colour of the urine, sunken eyes and dry, shrivelled skin. It needs to be managed proactively. Ideally, the management should start before dehydration has set in.

Managing dehydration

Take a lot of fluids. Simple water may not be enough as electrolytes are also lost. The easiest option is to take ORS. It is easily available everywhere and has the right mix of all the necessary electrolytes.
In case ORS is not available, add some sugar and a pinch of salt to a glass of water. Avoid giving tea and coffee as they act as diuretics and lead to loss of water.

CAUSES OF LOW GRADE FEVER.

Everyone at one time or the other gets fever may be high or low depending upon the infection or the disease. As we grow, we also start recognizing the symptoms of fever like body ache, headache, tiredness and fatigue. Generally, fever is considered to be an indication of body to let us know that we are getting infected or carrying a particular disease and its time to take care of the body. Normally, we have low grade fever which ranges between 100.4oF to 102.2oF and which is very common. Low grade fever can affect everyone from small child to adult and old people.
Causes of low grade fever
Different diseases cause low grade fever in our body. Some of them are given below:

Mumps, measles and rubella are the diseases which cause infection in salivary gland due to which more often the children get affected by fever.
Chicken pox, caused by virus is an infection due to which rashes appear on the whole body. In this viral infection the low grade fever is highly fluctuating causing more damage to the immune system.
Many times if a wound is too deep, it can get affected with pus cells. Even a small wound becomes major problem if left unattended. In such cases, patients usually complain of low grade fever.
Hepatitis is a very dangerous disease and if not treated in the early stages can be fatal. It is an inflammation and infection of liver which starts with low grade fever as initial symptoms.
Strep bacterial fall out leads to the cause of rashes and scarlet fever in the body. This is a bacterial infection and since the rashes are very red the fever is called scarlet fever.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a disease solely related to women which can cause low grade fever. This occurs due to infection of fallopian tubes and internally located reproductive organs.
Epstein-Barr virus can cause glandular fever or mononucleosis. The person in this case gets low grade fever right from the start and is persistent throughout the infection.
Another low grade fever causing bacterial infection is Typhoid which is an infection of gastrointestinal.
Leukemia or blood cancer is a very dangerous disease and has primary symptoms like low grade fever, dizziness and fatigue.
Rheumatoid Arthritis affects and inflames the joints and in severe cases cause low grade fever.
Sinus infection or sinusitis is a regular disease which is caused due to the inflammation of cavities placed behind eye and nose cavities. This is always accompanied by low grade fever.
Flu is the regular contagious viral infection which is accompanied by low grade fever for particular time period like 3 days, 7 days or even 11 days.
Dengue is also a very deadly infection which is first accompanied by low grade fever and if not treated well reaches the mark of high grade fever.
Allergies too cause low grade fever, especially when the body gets rashes.

A low grade fever can be treated by treating the respective diseases and infections causing the fever. Although so as to control the fever doctors do recommend aspirin or ibuprofen.