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Can Beta-Thalassemia Minor have symptoms?


I am 22 years old and have been diagnosed with Beta Thallassemia minor by a doctor. All my life I have felt tired, had palpitations (When I was younger), flatulence and difficulty concentrating and fuzziness. I cannot really look people directly in the eye sometimes because its too hard on my eyes (it strains them) even though I have perfect vision. Doctors have told me that I need no treatment and that Thallassemia has no symtpoms. I go to sleep tired and I wake up tired. I can be tired after 12 hours sleep! Can I be suffering symptoms from my thallassemia. Does any one else feel the same way that I do? This is a little bit hard for me, but I don't want to complain.
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Avatar universal
Hi, I've been diagnosed with BTM since I was a child. all those symptoms people have been describing are exactly what occurs to me. At times I have driven home and I don't know how I even got home. Woke up , I'm in the garage and the car is in the garage! Back pain, joint pain etc for me was cause by gout. once I started figuring out what foods to eat, the joint pain etc has gone away. Enlarged spleen and gallbladder was removed. keeps the RBC at 8.8. It actually dropped to 4.0 at one time before the removal of the enlarged spleen. Don't always trust the words of "doctors" , they are human too and not gods. (There is only one true and living God) One doctor gave me an iron injection and I felt like I was going to die that night. Apparently it wasn't my time. Right now I eat vegetarian (tofu  being the main source of protein) I don't really like eating animals knowing that a life that was breathing , living, had feelings, emotions, etc. was killed so that I might live. If I do eat fish, it's fish caught (probably cod, never salmon) from the north Atlantic, and definitely not the farm raised chinese fish (since there are no regulations as to what feed is used to "farm raise" that fish) And of course, if I di eat a piece of fish, I would  have an attitude of thankfulness that a life was sacrificed so that I might continue to live. Also, I have high iron levels, which I have been told by a doctor that it is because the body is trying to absorb as much iron as possible. So thus, another reason to stay away from red meat. Hope this helps somebody. Remember, this life is NOT the only life. There is a far greater, longer life that awaits us after this life passes away. And to those who choose the better part will  find life everlasting and abundant joy, but for those who refuse, they will continue living in misery, always being thirsty, and never being satisfied.
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Avatar universal
Wow, I'm surprised that a doctor finally said he suspected thal.  I am thal minor, and have always had symptoms but was still able to live a somewhat normal active life, until this past year.  I am 43 and the fatigue, joint, and muscle pain has been relentless.  My immune system has gone to hell.  I've  also developed vasoconstriction in my feet where my toes turn red, purple and black, even development blisters.  Some docs say it raynauds, but all blood work is normal except my Thal.  My hgb runs between 8 and 10.  I know I've have thal all my life but something has changed, and I feel it has to do with our bodies getting wore down from the thal.  Everything has to work overtime, vital nutrients get destroyed etc.  it's a chain reaction.  If you got any answers from the doc as to why he suspected your thal, can you please share.  
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It's called getting old, I also have BTM I'm 52, have pains everywhere, could sleep for an olympic gold medal, but I'm happy I don't have anything worse:-) :-) :-)
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I have been diagnosed with Beta Thalasemia Minor since I was 5 y/o. I am now 58 y/o. I have been suffering with pain (aching) in different areas since I was @35 y/o. Doctor always discounted Thala. as being cause but couldn't find a cause so called it fibromyalgia. I am now suffering with leg pain constantly for @ 2 months. This week after stating another work up for lower back pain & leg pain, a doctor told me he suspected Thala. & I definitely didn't have Fibromyalgia. I wondering if anyone out there has had similar issues & any successful treatment.
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Avatar universal
I'm 63, mother of three girls--one also carries the trait form. We have all the symptoms we're not supposed to have--won't reiterate. The interesting thing--have had a couple of "events"? where I finally felt normal. Two years ago I was hospitalized with acute ideopathic pancreatitis--16 days! I received daily injections of B-12, and was also transfused. What followed was the best year of my life. I had energy, lost weight, my skin was great, I stopped losing my hair--and the best--I have had NO infections in the last two years--and I've spent the last 25 years living (if you can call it that) from one round of antibiotics to the next. In the last few years, the infections just got worse and worse till I could expect pneumonia at least once a year, bronchitis, et al.

As my old symptoms began gradually to return, I researched, and was amazed at how much more is known. Started experimenting with diet, supplements, the B-12 and iodine protocols. All helped, but now I'm back to the beginning--the beta thal. Could one transfusion have given me such relief for over a year? Anyone else have experience with transfusion?

Yes, not supposed to take iron or get transfusions--the reading is pretty scary, but wow, is that what normals feel like all the time? It's a quality vs quantity thing. I'm willing to experiment for a better quality of life.

Haven't seen anyone commenting on fetal hemoglobin. The theory is if you're expressing fhbg, your beta thal symptoms will be much less which would explain why my sister with thal always felt so much better. There are things that increase fhbg, green tea, folic aid (I'd strongly recommend metafolin), some Chinese herbs, etc. Phytic acid also supposed to help some folks. Vitamin D is usualy deficient in thals. Carnitine is helpful, magesium. Fetal hemoglobin expression can (like most things) decrease with age, thus thals who've never had issues may find themselves experiencing new symptoms.

There are a wide range of symptoms--I've seen minor/trait broken into minima and minor. There is a more severe form called intermedia. OMIM lists almost 600 thal mutations. Minors who also carry an alpha triplication (or quaddruplication may need tranfusions. These polymorphisms (snps) are "new" and most physicians will not know anything about them. 23andme is a good place to get tested, but you'll have to do the footwork yourself since the FDA won't let them give results in layman's terms, just the raw data. Challenging but doable.

It's possible to also be iron deficient and beta thal. There are test result comparisons online (I think there's one at thalpal.com) that help differentiate between the two so you can help your physician distinguish them.

Eating clean is always a good idea, but I've been following the best diet of my life these last two years, and it doesn't seem to be stopping my inexorable slide. Ditto supplements. I know they're doing something, because when I miss for a few days I really start dragging. My gp, the endocrinologist, my hematologist--they have nothing to offer but a smile and a shrug--and they think everything I've tried is a waste of time and money. What I think is that anyone who wants answers will have to find them for themselves.
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Avatar universal
Now I am shocked...I am thalassemia minor (treat) ...doctor tell me its no problem for you...BUT....all the time I was trying to find out why I have some unhealthy things like  :

* sleeping 13-14 hours but allways wake up so much tired,
* Tired when I do sport, also tired when I dont do sport...?
* so tired , I am thinking my heart is going to stop,
* get easily ill.... bad Immune system
* my hands and feets gets so cold like ice, nobody can touch,even summer,maybe I have bad blood circulation, maybe its BTM
* Difficulty concentrating
* low blood pressure
* fall asleep everywhere,everytime (ones I feel asleep wake up after 25 hours with mammys call  :s )
* Dark under eyes ,expecially when I sleep 7-8 hours, when I sleep 4-5 hours all my face get dark...I really look and feel unhealthy
* Bruise easily
* So looking young? me too. This is because of BTM? Have the same... I am 28 but people think I am 16-17 years old.(I am female ,this is the only good  sympthome.

Doctors telling you are not sick. If our blood cells and values are different so this must have bad results. So why told the doctor its not important?Everybody has similiar problems. I have so much trouble, I spend all my time with sleeping, other time to wake up...I am master student, I need time to study..If I am not like the other people so how can doctor say you ar not sick?  
I didnt take care of this long time, now I am at the end of my power again....trying vitamins, doing etc....I lucky to find this site. I will start folic asit...Is there any other methods which helps to increase our quality of life??


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