What to do with thalassemia in children

You may not have heard of thalassemia often, but it is a hereditary disease. If a baby is sick, it is very likely that the disease was inherited from the mother or father. Thalassemia needs to be taken seriously. This disease is difficult to treat and severe cases may lead to death. So what should we do if children have thalassemia? Regarding this issue, let me give you a detailed introduction.

Symptoms of Thalassemia

Children with thalassemia have dark, mottled skin. In addition, the liver and spleen gradually enlarge, with splenomegaly being the most obvious, and can reach the pelvic cavity. As the liver and spleen become larger, the more seriously they affect the development of the child's other myocardial organs, such as the liver and pancreas. Once these important organs are damaged, it will cause heart failure, liver fibrosis and liver failure, which may cause the child's death.

What to do with thalassemia in children

Daily life

Patients with thalassemia are mainly physically weak and should be careful in their daily life and adjust the room temperature. Be careful not to get other flu infections. When the weather is nice, go for a walk outdoors and do some recreational activities.

Dietary restrictions

As for the condition of thalassemia, some cases are mild and easy to treat. The most important thing is to change the diet and correct the anemia through diet. Eat foods rich in iron, such as green leafy vegetables, pork liver, etc., and various fresh fruits rich in iron. These foods are beneficial to thalassemia patients and can speed up recovery. However, there are foods that are not good for Mediterranean patients to eat, that is milk. Milk is not easy to digest and the nutrients in it cannot be well utilized. Therefore, Mediterranean patients cannot use milk to recover during their illness.

Control your emotions

Paying attention to mental care plays an important role in preventing fatigue and blood deficiency. Excessive emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness will lead to depletion of yin blood. Since this is the main cause of the disease, it should not be allowed to worsen. Therefore, patients should maintain a calm and optimistic mood in their daily life. What to do about thalassemia? Medical treatment: blood transfusion and iron removal are still one of the most important and important treatment methods at present, and you can go to the hospital for treatment.

Special treatment

The above are general treatments, while red blood cell transfusion and iron chelators are new treatment methods. The transfusion of red blood cells can alleviate the condition. It is best to wash the red blood cells to prevent transfusion reactions. This allows the patient to develop near normal and bone lesions. Iron chelators, most commonly deferoxamine, can increase iron excretion in the urine or feces but are ineffective for iron absorption in the stomach. It has no side effects and can be used for a long time; the combined use of vitamin C and iron chelators can enhance the elimination of iron. Another type of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, allogeneic, is the preferred method mainly for major thalassemia. Splenectomy is very effective for hemoglobin H disease or intermediary β-thalassemia. Gene cremation therapy, which is used by a few other people, can also improve the symptoms of thalassemia.

Treatment considerations

1. Maintain daily nutrition: Many babies do not like to eat during the period of suffering from thalassemia. Parents should know that if babies with thalassemia do not eat, their physical condition will only become worse and worse. Therefore, parents should think of some more novel ways to ensure that the baby gets the nutrition he lacks.

2. Go to the pediatric department regularly for anemia diagnosis: After the baby suffers from thalassemia, parents should also go to the pediatric department of the hospital regularly to check the baby's anemia to see whether the baby's anemia level has increased or decreased. After each diagnosis, the right medicine can be prescribed. Therefore, going to the pediatric department regularly for anemia diagnosis is also a problem that needs attention after the baby suffers from thalassemia.

3. Other considerations: In addition to maintaining daily nutrition and regular visits to the pediatric department for anemia diagnosis as mentioned above, the baby’s parents should also spend more effort and patience to help their baby overcome the difficulties of thalassemia. I hope that through the efforts of the baby and his parents, the baby’s thalassemia can be gradually cured.