What is International Thalassaemia Day?
International Thalassaemia Day, May 8th, honors thalassaemia patients who are no longer with us every year. It's also a day to honor the patients who are alive and striving for a better quality of life.
Thalassaemia is a genetic hemoglobin disorder. Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein found in red blood cells and is found in Hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is used to transport oxygen to the blood. A person with thalassaemia has less than average hemoglobin levels. Multiple blood transfusions are usually needed, making life very difficult. Any people with the disease require a blood transfusion every two weeks.
According to the most recent estimates, around 280 million people around the world have thalassaemia. About 439,000 people have a severe case of the disease. Thalassaemia is most common among the following ethnic groups: Thalassaemia is most common in the following ethnic groups:
- Italian
