Thalassemia > Beta Thalassemia > Diagnosis


Diagnosis of thalassemia major and minor

Persons with thalassemias have smaller sized red blood cells than normals as well as low red blood cell counts (anemia). Thalassemia major and thalassemia minor can now be diagnosed (and distinguished from one another) not only by conventional clinical and blood testing, but also by molecular medical tests. These tests permit accurate diagnosis to be made at any time, even before birth (in fact, well before the beta chain machinery is fired up to make beta chains for hemoglobin).