thalassemia

noun

thal·​as·​se·​mia ˌtha-lə-ˈsē-mē-ə 

: any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis (such as Cooley's anemia) that are marked by mild to severe hypochromic and microcytic anemia, result from the partial or complete failure in production of one or more globin chains, and tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, African, or southeastern Asian ancestry

—sometimes used with a prefix (such as alpha-, beta-, or delta-) to indicate the hemoglobin chain affected see beta-thalassemia

thalassemic

ˌtha-lə-ˈsē-mik 

adjective or noun

Examples of thalassemia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While there’s a lot of excitement about the treatments among sickle cell patients and those suffering from a related disorder known as beta thalassemia, only about 60 of the thousands of patients eligible for the treatment have started the process. —Rob Stein, NPR, 19 Sep. 2024

Those at greater risk include people with leukemia or other cancers, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV, and blood disorders such as sickle cell and thalassemia. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2024

Meanwhile, cells fixed by gene therapy can slow, even stop, the progression of intractable diseases like sickle cell or beta thalassemia — for the extraordinary price of $2.1 million to $4.25 million each. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 12 May 2024

Orkin focused his attention on the hemoglobin gene, which is mutated in people with sickle cell anemia and another set of blood diseases called beta thalassemia. —TIME, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek thalassa sea + New Latin -emia

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thalassemia

• beta-thalassemia
• thalassemia major
• thalassemia minor

Medical Definition

thalassemia

noun

thal·​as·​se·​mia

variants or British thalassaemia

ˌthal-ə-ˈsē-mē-ə 

: any of a group of inherited hypochromic anemias and especially Cooley's anemia controlled by a series of allelic genes that cause reduction in or failure of synthesis of one of the globin chains making up hemoglobin and that tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, African, or southeastern Asian ancestry

—sometimes used with a prefix (as alpha-, beta-, or delta-) to indicate the hemoglobin chain affected

called also Mediterranean anemia

see alpha-thalassemia, beta-thalassemia