Thalassemia in 2017

Dear Colleagues,

Thalassemias is an inherited blood disorder characterized by less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in your body than normal. There are two primary types of Thalassemia disease: α- and β-Thalassemia disease. Recent data suggest that the survival of well-treated patients with Thalassemia Major is now similar to that of Thalassemia Intermedia. In addition, retrospective data on 4943 subjects with a heterozygote state of beta-thalassemia, suggest that, even in patients defined as thalassemia carriers (Thalassemia Minor), there is an increase in morbidity (cirrhosis, kidney disease, etc.) compared with the non-thalassemia population of subjects who are not heterozygote. These data call for a potential revision of the clinical classification of thalassemia, based on strict categories of severity, towards a classification including a “continuum” of the same disease divided into its stages of manifestation. The advantages of this new classification would consist of:

• expand the use of chelation therapy and transfusion to the “traditionally” less severe forms of thalassemia syndromes for which management was not commonly considered;
• reduce the morbidity and mortality of such less severe forms of thalassemia syndromes;
• reduce health care costs associated with the treatment of these uncontrolled complications (cirrhosis, etc.) through prevention;
• expand the number of patients who have access and are eligible to innovative therapies;
• review the indications for prenatal diagnosis of Thalassemia Major;

In addition, this Special Issue of IJMS also gives insight into the evolving field of Thalassemias regarding research, diagnosis, treatment modalities and clinical applications.

Dr. Aurelio Maggio
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Antonis Kattamis
Prof. Dr. Ali Taher
Dr. Khaled M. Musallam
Co-Guest Editors

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