Is there a cure for thalassemia?

Bone marrow trnsplnt: The cure for thalassemia major is through bone marrow transplantation, either from umbilical cord blood stem cells or from donor bone marrow stem cells. Thalassemia minor is a mild form of the disease, so a transplant would not be needed.

Beta or alpha?: Bone marrow transplants have been used to cure people of beta-thalassemia major. Those with beta-thal minor or Alpha thal trait typically don't need any therapy. Those with the most serious form of alpha-thalassemia unfortunately don't survive long enough for any treatment to be delivered, although there have been some experimental in utero treatments tried..

Transplant: Currently the only true cure for thalassemia is bone marrow transplant for those patients who meet the transplant criteria.

Yes: The cure for thalassemia major is through bone marrow transplantation, either from umbilical cord blood stem cells or from donor bone marrow stem cells.

Marrow Transplant: Currently the only way to "cure" thalassemia is to replace enough of the marrow cells that make red cells/ hemoglobin to result in normal oxygen carrying and delivery as well as reduced numbers of fragile red cells. And the only way to do this is by bone marrow transplantation.

Thalassemia: The only cure for thalassemia is currently bone marrow transplantation, but this procedure is associated with a risk of morbidity and mortality. With adequate transfusion and iron chelation, thalassemia patients can have normal life spans (although the need for constant medical intervention obviously imposes on their quality of life).

Transplant for thal: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the cure for severe thalassemia, both Alpha and beta. The best results are when the donor is a brother or sister with a good tissue match to the patient. You can read about treatments on this website: www.Thalassemia.Org.