thalassemia minor and covid immunity

Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive condition. (2014). Farid Y, et al. Acta Biomed. Hemoglobin normally is made of four chainstwo alpha chains and two beta chains. How do I know if I have thalassemia trait? People with beta thalassemia minor can have anemia so mild they dont know they have it. 2020 Jun;25(6):e936-e945. Munkongdee T, et al. They often share similar symptoms but have different causes as well as different treatments and severity. Treatment may include regular blood transfusions. Its severity varies greatly between people. Blood clots are fairly common with COVID-19, and many physicians view it as a disease of blood vessels. (2022). These transplants should proceed. A second dose of Pfizer or Moderna at least 4 weeks after 1st dose, less susceptibility to developing COVID-19, fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, higher susceptibility to dying from COVID-19, surgery to remove your spleen or gallbladder. They agree that unless you have a very serious allergy to any of the vaccine ingredients, you should strongly consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine because some people with thalassemia have a higher chance of experiencing severe symptoms from COVID-19. (2020). Additionally, COVID-19 has complicated some treatments for thalassemia, such as the availability of lifesaving blood transfusions. 1 Platt L, Warwick R. Are some ethnic groups Can Being Heterozygous for the Beta-Thalassemia Trait Affect Your Pregnancy? At the current time, there is no evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and if present at all, the risk is likely to be very low. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies It causes anemia. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! There are very few medications that are contraindicated (should not be used) in people who may be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or who have developed a COVID-19 infection. If you're pregnant and heterozygous for beta-thalassemia, you may not need treatment, but there are still some things to consider for a healthy. People with beta thalassemia may be at a higher risk of developing severe disease or death, but studies are . Nicosia, Cyprus: Thalassaemia International Federation; 2017. Guidelines for the Management of NonTransfusion Dependent Thalassaemias, 2nd ed. In Italy there are about 5000 patients with dependent transfusion thalassemia (source Italian Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies - SITE) and a smaller number, currently not definable, of patients with sickle cell anemia in chronic transfusion. However, more epidemiological studies are required in the aim to obtain a strong signal. What Research Says About the Link Between COVID-19 and Blood Type, What the Blood Link Research Means for You, Omicron vs. Delta: How the 2 COVID-19 Variants Compare, ShinglesHerpes ZosterInfection May Be Linked to the COVID-19 Vaccine, Can COVID-19 Cause Diabetes? In fact, some people prefer being able to communicate with their healthcare providers from the comfort of their own home. Two recently published studies have found that people who recover from COVID-19 develop antibodies that may last almost a year. Front Med (Lausanne). This means you have lower levels of hemoglobin, which could result in mild anemia. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially those with chronic illnesses. As thalassemia is considered to be a severe underlying medical condition , both adults and children with thalassemia were excluded from the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Genetic testing is the only way to confirm whether you carry the gene. People having hematological disorders and hypercoagulability state need extra precautions because of the increased risk of thrombosis after COVID-19 vaccination. If you have beta-thalassemia trait, you have a 50% chance of passing on the affected gene to any child you have. April 21, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with -thalassemia: The French experience. 2021;16(1):114.doi:10.1186/s13023-021-01757-w. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Vitamin and mineral supplementation may be recommended for some people with thalassemia during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020; 10.1002/ajh.25840 [Epub ahead of print]. But some researchers believe it may, based on the primarily mild symptoms of COVID-19 in people with thalassemia found in a study out of Southeast Asia. Thalassemia trait, aka thalassemia minor, usually doesnt cause health issues. A 2014 Chinese study found that 17.8% of people with beta-thalassemia trait also had genetic mutations that affected the alpha gene. Thalassemia is a blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Learn more. In order to better describe the frequency and manifestations of COVID-19 in thalassemia patients living in France, we report the cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection that occurred during the year 2020. Am J Hematol. (2020). In that event, it's advisable that the therapy be stopped until the infection has cleared. While blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy (iron-binding drugs that are sometimes given via infusion) require traveling to a clinic or hospital, there are many healthcare visits that can be handled virtually. ; 4 Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences . Blood. Med Hypotheses. The third group includes people with Thalassemia minor, who have mild anaemia only. Lack of hemoglobin can lead to insufficient oxygen in your bodily tissues. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. People with beta thalassemia may be immunosuppressed if they have impairment of spleen function or had their spleen removed. Some people with thalassemia have cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease). Current recommendations for those in the United States is that iron chelation therapy be continued unless symptoms of COVID-19 develop. Orphanet J Rare Dis. doi:10.1002/ajh.25840, Farmakis D, Giakoumis A, Cannon L, et al. The novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is a contagious acute respiratory infectious disease whose causative agent has been demonstrated to be a novel virus of the coronavirus family, SARSCoV-2. Some studies estimate the worldwide prevalence of alpha-thalassemia trait to be as high as 5%. In spite of those terrible limits, this systematic-review meta-analysis opens the way to the confirmation of a possible protection/immunity of beta-thalassemia carriers against COVID-19 concerning incidence and ICU admission markers [7,8]. Hemoglobin allows your red blood cells to carry oxygen to other cells throughout your body. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. These antigens help prompt a response from your body's immune system. You likely wont have any symptoms. However, the results have been inconsistent and so the connection between COVID-19 and different blood types still isn't clear. Still, the study authors wrote, "the impact of blood type on clinical outcomes remains unclear. COVID Increases Risk of Long-Term Brain Injury, Study Shows, COVID Tongue: How a Swollen Tongue Could Indicate COVID-19, Even Mild COVID-19 Infections Increase Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Research Shows, CDC Adds Mental Health Conditions to High-risk of Severe Illness From COVID List, COVID-19 Pneumoniathe Lung Infection Caused by Getting COVID-19, Does Sunlight Kill COVID-19 and Does Vitamin D Prevent It? Let's look at why and how to get support to stop drinking: While not as serious as other causes of chest pain, anemia-related chest pain can be a sign that your current treatment plan isn't working. You inherit two copies of this gene one from each parent. Facial Presentation in People with Beta-Thalassemia Major, The Hidden Signs You May Have a Red Meat Allergy From a Tick Bite, Alpha Thalassemia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More, Alopecia Areata and Diet: Foods to Eat and Avoid. Certain medications have been approved to reduce the frequency of transfusions needed. As new research becomes available, well update this article. Blood tests can reveal the number of red blood cells and abnormalities in size, shape or color. It causes mild to severe respiratory illness with some flu-like symptoms. An official website of the United States government. All rights reserved. A 2022 study found that people with beta-thalassemia trait were also at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The one gene defect, beta thalassemia trait (minor), is asymptomatic and results in microcytosis and mild anemia. If you have one unaffected gene, it mostly overrides the faulty gene. When there isn't enough hemoglobin, the body's red blood cells don't function properly and they last shorter periods of time, so there are fewer healthy red blood cells traveling . doi:10.23750/abm.v91i3.10063, Taher AT, Bou-Fakhredin R, Kreidieh F, et al. In a very small French study, researchers found that people with thalassemia under the age of 60 had higher rates of severe disease and hospitalization than the general population. The study from Iran found that having a diagnosis of thalassemia was associated with poorer outcomes, particularly for people who have complications of thalassemia. Eating nutritious foods is important for everyone to maintain a healthy lifestyle - a diet, high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats is ideal for gaining the essential nutrients our bodies need. Treatment is with corticosteroids. Thalassemia Benefits. government site. On the other, people with thalassemia may be at risk of adrenal insufficiency (adrenal crisis), which can worsen a person's condition with severe COVID-19. Do people with thalassemia trait need treatment? If you have thalassemia trait, it means you carry a genetic mutation that causes thalassemia, but you dont have the disease yourself. Some of these release special . This shortage has been of even greater concern in South Asia (due to a high incidence of beta-thalassemia), where it's been estimated that 200,000 people depend on regular blood transfusions to manage their condition. If you have minor or no symptoms, your provider may suspect thalassemia based on the results of a routine blood test. Epub 2020 Sep 15. For example, some of the common complications and coexisting conditions caused by thalassemia may also worsen COVID-19. 5, 25, 26, 27 However, no details were provided as to the outcomes and course of the pregnancy in this . They only have one mutated HBB gene from their parents. For the latest on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page. Accessibility Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus . 8600 Rockville Pike Epidemiological Surveillance of SARSCov2 in -Thalassemia Patients in the Last Two Years: Reinfection Rate, Insights and Future Challenges. Aim: Low levels of immune-related micronutrients have been identified in -thalassemia samples. Patients with beta-thalassaemia increase the risk of bacterial infections, particularly Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), the causative agent of melioidosis in Thailand. People with the intermedia or major forms of the disease have HBB mutations from both parents. This may cause you to experience mild anemia. The study found that patients with blood types A and AB were found to be more likely to require mechanical ventilation and to require dialysis for kidney failure. Biochemistry, hemoglobin synthesis. Last medically reviewed on April 6, 2023. 2020;57(5):478.doi:10.1007/s13312-020-1831-9, By Lynne Eldridge, MD Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. For people living with thalassemia, because too much iron may build up in the blood, foods high in iron may need to be limited. People with the most severe form of the disease may require regular blood transfusions. Researchers found no link between blood type and COVID-19 risk, adding that more research was needed on the topic. Early in the pandemic, two studies published in the Blood Advances journal in October 2020 showed a possible link between blood type and vulnerability to COVID-19. Should people with thalassemia take vitamins and mineral supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic? (2016). The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Thalassemia International Federation urge people with thalassemia to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Possible symptoms include: Doctors sometimes mistake symptoms of thalassemia trait for iron deficiency. Commentary: Could iron chelators prove to be useful as an adjunct to COVID-19 Treatment Regimens? People with this condition will need frequent blood transfusions. Update in laboratory diagnosis of thalassemia. "There is no real benefit for the individual person," said Torben Barington, DMSc, a clinical professor of immunology at the University of Southern Denmark and co-author of the early Danish study. doi:10.2144/fsoa-2020-0110, Papadopoulos KI, Sutheesophon W, Manipalviratn S, Aw TC. Some research findings have suggested that people with blood types A and AB are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, while those with blood type O are less likely to test positive for the virus. Yet, no matter how difficult the trial, there are often positive points. In a 2022 study, researchers found lower rates of vaccine-related side effects among 186 people with thalassemia major than in vaccine clinical trials. Thus far, studies have been mixed as to whether thalassemia patients are more likely to experience serious outcomes of COVID-19 (such as hospitalization or death). 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Lynne Eldrige, MD, is a lung cancer physician, patient advocate, and award-winning author of "Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time. Researchers found inconsistent findings but did identify certain trends suggesting that blood type A might predispose one to increased susceptibility to infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), or that type O and Rh-negative blood groups might be protective.
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