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Thalassemia is a general name for a group of inherited blood diseases that involve abnormalities in hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying part of the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is mainly made up of two kinds of protein, called alpha and beta globin. Individuals with thalassemia do not produce enough of one (or occasionally both) of these proteins. As a result, their red blood cells may be abnormal and unable to carry enough oxygen throughout the body. 

The two main types of thalassemia are called alpha and beta thalassemia:

• Individuals with alpha thalassemia do not produce enough alpha globin.
• Those with beta thalassemia do not produce enough beta globin.

There are a number of different forms of alpha and beta thalassemias, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. 

Thalassemia is among the most common genetic disorders worldwide (1). More than 100,000 babies worldwide are born each year with severe forms of thalassemia (2). Thalassemia occurs most frequently in people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Asian and African ancestry (3).