My wife has detected thalassemia beta minor.

Dear Sir / madam,

My wife has detected thalassemia beta minor.

We are planning for our child in next few months

Would like to know is there any chances for our child-to be born get infected by thalassemia when i have normal hemoglobin count.

And if yes, what are the prcautions shall we take.

Also... how shall she be cured from this Beta Thl

Please help with advice.

Thanks and Regards,

[Dragon1973]

Hello Avpandevp,

If your wife Thalassemia Beta minor, she can pass it on to a child.  The odds of passing on any genetic health problem or mutation is dependent on whether the mutation is a dominant gene.  In your wifes case, if it is a dominant mutation she has a 50% chance of passing the mutation on.  
Here is a site that talks about the genetics and passing on mutations or variants to an offspring.  http://www.ehow.com/about_5576741_history-genetic-diseases.html

To learn whether the child has inherited her Beta Thal minor, the options are to have the child tested by blood test after birth.  But if you do not have this condition then they are likely (if they do inherit) to only have one copy of the gene, meaning they too would have the Beta Minor - meaning that they only have one copy of the gene, (heterozygous  as opposed to homozygous meaning having both copies of the genes).  If they end up with Beta Minor, then they will only be affected in a minor way and not have the full disease.  In order to have the full Thalassemia they would have had to have (carry) both genes.  If they have been diagnosed as Beta Thal minor, it means they only have one gene.

Here is a great site that explains it in more depth:  http://www.medicinenet.com/beta_thalassemia/article.htm

Having Beta Thal minor doesn't mean that they will not have any difficulties or are without problems.  But, the degree of severity is often less.  In your wife or possibly your children's case, they might have (at most) mild anaemia.  Often they will only be monitored by a physician to ensure that they do not have iron deficiencies.  Apparently from what I have learned there is no treatment regimen for those who have Beta Thal minor.  But I would absolutely verify this with your own doctors.

I hope this is helpful for you.

In addition to anything I have mentioned, please keep in mind, that while I or others may have extensive knowledge in many areas, you should always seek professional medical advice from your own physician, as it pertains to medical conditions or concerns.

Good luck, and if you have any other questions that I can help you with, please feel free to message me directly.

Sincerely,
Sandi (Dragon1973)
MedHelp Genetics Community Leader;
Children - Special Needs Community Leader;
Down syndrome Community Leader & Ds Group Forum Founder/Moderator;
MTHFR Group Forum Founder/Moderator

[eureka254]

"My wife has detected thalassemia beta minor. We are planning for our child in next few months.  Would like to know is there any chances for our child-to be born get infected by thalassemia when i have normal hemoglobin count."
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It's very likely that your wife's detection of beta thal minor is recent, during the pregnancy?  I would expect so because most people with beta thal trait do not have any health problems or symptoms from having beta thal minor.  Assessing risk to your child for beta thal or similar condition would require more details than just your hemoglobin count.  Certain blood test results would be needed to determine risk: Mean Corpuscular Volume, A2 Quantification, and possible Iron studies or gene sequencing would need to be done on you to assess risk for your child.  

"And if yes, what are the prcautions shall we take? Also... how shall she be cured from this Beta Thl"
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There are no 'precautions' one can take to to be 'cured' of beta thal minor or major.  It is not an infection; it is a genetic trait and cannot be changed.  Your wife cannot 'change' having beta thal minor -- she inherited the trait from one of her parents, and all her children will have a 50% chance of inheriting the trait as well.  Fortunately, most people who have beta thal minor have no health concerns related to their status.  Beta thalassemia major occurs when both parents each with a beta-thal trait give their beta-thal gene to a child.  Modern medicine has made it that long-term survival is possible nowadays with beta-thal major, but it is a condition that requires serious medical intervention.  My hope is that you and your wife will not need to be concerned about beta thal major.  
Best of luck to you, your wife, and the new baby-to-be.  ~eureka