Sabah records highest number of thalassemia carriers

0

GET TESTED: A campaign poster encourages the public to be screened for thalassemia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah has been identified as the state with the highest number of carriers for the blood disorder thalassemia.

From the total 23,110 Malaysian thalassemia carriers identified by the Health Ministry in 2008, one third or 8,623 of them were Sabahans.

As the state with the most number of thalassemia carriers, affected patients in Sabah require more blood transfusions than in any other state.

Last year, 1,506 patients (or 25.7 per cent out of the total) sought treatment in hospitals across Sabah.

This year the Health Ministry has targeted schooling teenagers for thalassemia screenings across Sabah and Sarawak.

The ministry hopes that such screenings will help them make an informed decision in choosing their partners to prevent more children from suffering.

Thalassemia is a result of the weakening and destruction of red blood cells caused by defective genes that affect how the body makes haemoglobin – the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

It is not contagious but congenital – passed down from the parent(s) to the child.

Ministry of Health Family Health Development Division director Dr Safurah Jaafar explained that the disorder causes a long list of complications such as fatigue, pale appearance, heart problems, increased risk of infection, iron overload, enlarged spleen, bone deformities and slowed growth rates.

“Thalassemia is an inherited disease. The prevalence of thalassemia carriers among Malaysians is reported to be around 4 to 6 per cent, especially among the Malays and Chinese.

“Take marriage for example. A carrier who marries another carrier risks producing a child suffering from thalassemia at every pregnancy,” she warned.

She pointed out that a thalassemia carrier can avoid having an infected child by choosing a spouse who is not a carrier.

“Similarly, a non-carrier is free to choose a spouse regardless of his or her thalassemia status as the child will not be born a carrier.”

The only way to find out whether one is infected with thalassemia is through a blood test, which can be done at Health Ministry clinics for free.

Dr Safurah stressed that the Health Ministry strongly encourages individuals with known thalassemia carriers among their siblings or close relatives to undergo examinations.

“Teenagers especially Form 4 or Form 5 students, soon-to-be-married couples and mothers of first pregnancy are strongly encouraged to do so,” she said.

Children born with thalassemia tend to look normal at birth, but at between 13 and 18 months anaemia – a decrease in the number of red blood cells – would set in.

The most familiar type of thalassemia is beta thalassemia, which involves decreased production of normal adult haemoglobin (Hb A), the predominant type of haemoglobin from soon after birth until death.

There are two forms of beta thalassemia – thalassemia minor and thalassemia major (Cooley’s anaemia).

Thalassemia carriers usually look healthy and normal, but may have slight anaemia.

If a carrier becomes a parent, the newborn has a 50 per cent chance of being a carrier.

Treatment depend on the type and severity of the disorder, including blood transfusions, iron chelation therapy and folic acid supplements.

Blood and marrow stem cell transplant is one the treatment options if suitable donors are found.

Thanks to advancement in medical technology, thalassemia patients may look forward to better quality of life within a longer span.

Thalassemia patients living in advanced countries may live beyond 50 years of age.

“If a thalassemia patient follows medical advice consistently (compliance), chances are high that he or she could avoid the damage of organs, thus preventing complications.

“In other words, thalassemia patients must adopt a strong determination and commitment towards medical care in order to live a better life. Children who have gone through such committed treatment since childhood could always live a normal life,” said Dr Safurah.

“On behalf of the Health Ministry, I sincerely hope that thalassemia patients would seek medical treatment as the key to better living. Teenagers above 16 years old (screening with consent from their parents), couples on the way to getting married and youths in general, please undergo the free thalassemia screening at government clinics.”