Can a man with thalassemia have children?

As people become more aware of their health, many married couples will do pre-pregnancy checkups before preparing to have a baby to understand whether their physical condition is good for the development of the fetus. Generally speaking, women are more likely to suffer from anemia, which is mainly caused by their special physical constitution. If a man has Mediterranean anemia, can he have a child? Let's learn about it together.

1. What is Mediterranean anemia?

Mediterranean anemia, also known as marine anemia, is a group of hereditary hemolytic anemias. The common feature is that due to defects in the globin gene, one or more of the globin peptide chains in hemoglobin are reduced or cannot be synthesized, resulting in changes in the composition of hemoglobin.

2. Genetics of Mediterranean anemia

Most cases of thalassemia found in adults through blood tests are mild. Patients with mild thalassemia usually have no symptoms or only mild anemia, which often has no impact on their daily life and work, and generally do not require treatment. However, carriers of the thalassemia gene may pass the disease on to the next generation.

If only one of the spouses is suffering from mild anemia, there is a 50% chance that their children will suffer from mild anemia. However, if both spouses are suffering from mild anemia, there is a 1/4 chance that their children will be normal, a 1/2 chance that they will suffer from mild anemia, and a 1/4 chance that they will suffer from severe anemia.

1. Mild β-thalassemia does not have a big impact on people, but only occasionally anemia occurs. If the woman is fine, your child has only a 50% chance of inheriting anemia. The worst case is just a mild case like you, so don't be afraid. The probability of inheriting thalassemia is half. It is said that if two people have this disease, it will be passed on to the baby. If only one person has this mild disease, the probability of passing it on to the baby is even lower, so don't worry.

2. Consider a group of hereditary hemolytic anemia. Anemia or pathological conditions caused by the absence or deficiency of one or more globin chains in hemoglobin due to hereditary gene defects are named and classified according to the type and degree of the globin chain that is lacking. Pay attention to rest and nutrition, and actively prevent infection. Supplement folic acid and vitamin B12 appropriately. More serious problems require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or gene activation therapy.

The above is the editor's summary of the question of whether a man with thalassemia can have children. If both men and women have thalassemia, then their children are likely to inherit the disease, but if only one of them has it, you can rest assured that the chances are low. You need to slowly adjust through your daily life to reduce the severity of your condition, and it will rarely have an adverse effect on the next generation.