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Child Has Thalassemia Intermedia. How To Improve Hemoglobin Level?
Question: "Hi there.. i got a 11 years old niece and she has been diagnosed with thalassemia intermedia around a year back.. Her Hb remains around 9 to 10 and her spleen size is 11 c.m. and her current weight is only 24.5 kgs and Her current height is 129.4 c.m. so, we are looking for your expert advice on this and if you can please suggest us how to improve the Hb level and how to reduce the size of the spleen then it will be a really very good help. and yes one more thing that we are looking for an option where we dont have to use a blood transfusion.. we haven't used blood transfusion ever and we dont want to use blood transfusion in future too.. we have been also told that if we go for a spleen removal surgery then that will improve her health.. is that a right solution by any chance?? if yes then how? and if no then why not?
Hello and thank you for submitting the question.
Patients who have this type of thalassemia generally benefit from the removal of the spleen. This has multiple benefits. It will usually improve symptoms of abdominal discomfort and it will usually help to improve appetite in patients.
Sometimes if the spleen gets large it can cause a decrease in appetite and weight loss.
Also the iron level should be followed very frequently. Sometimes patients need to take medication to lower the iron level because in thalassemia the iron level maybe significantly elevated
Otherwise I would recommend that she continues to consume a very well-balanced diet. Her hemoglobin will never be above what the general populationconsiders to be normal. This is the case for all patients with thalassemia.
Thank you again for submitting your question. I reviewed all of the laboratory tests which you submitted as well. If you have any additional concerns regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me. I really think the removal of the spleen is a good consideration for her.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Patients who have this type of thalassemia generally benefit from the removal of the spleen. This has multiple benefits. It will usually improve symptoms of abdominal discomfort and it will usually help to improve appetite in patients.
Sometimes if the spleen gets large it can cause a decrease in appetite and weight loss.
Also the iron level should be followed very frequently. Sometimes patients need to take medication to lower the iron level because in thalassemia the iron level maybe significantly elevated
Otherwise I would recommend that she continues to consume a very well-balanced diet. Her hemoglobin will never be above what the general populationconsiders to be normal. This is the case for all patients with thalassemia.
Thank you again for submitting your question. I reviewed all of the laboratory tests which you submitted as well. If you have any additional concerns regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me. I really think the removal of the spleen is a good consideration for her.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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