What is thalassemia trait?

Also known as: alpha thalassemia trait, beta thalassemia trait, silent thalassemia trait.

Thalassemia is a medical condition in which the body makes less hemoglobin than usual. It causes anemia. There are four genes that contribute to the making of hemoglobin. Problems with these genes can cause thalassemia, but when only one of the four genes is affected, the individual has no symptoms and is known as having thalassemia trait.

---

Reviewed by: Athena Pefkarou, MD

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM