Thalassemia minor with hair loss, and more...

Hi, I'm currently a student at college and a few months ago I decided to get a blood test done that could explain my hair thinning and jaundice. They gave me a typical blood test, which I found out that I have Thalassemia minor. I researched this online and it appeared that it wasn't much of a big deal. I then talked to my parents about it and apparently my mom is also a carrier.

After the first blood test that was done a few months ago, the doctor gave me another one to double check if I had low iron levels and if my thyroid was fine. Test came back and both were fine, however my bilirubin was higher than normal. My doctor said that I may have a case of Gilbert's syndrome but he was not too sure if I did since I had Thalassemia minor. I got an ultrasound of my abdominal area and it was fine; no liver scars or enlarged spleen.

My doctor is currently going to check my testosterone and is referring me to a gastroenterologist to double check if I have any other problems.

During high school I used to have a lot of blackouts that lasted for a few seconds, but I rarely if ever get them now. Other current symptoms that I have include random heart palpitations. Also when I walk up maybe about two stories in a building my heart starts to pound fast. I've also lost a lot of weight during the past year (30lbs).

Thanks for your input.

Unafraid.

I don't know how much this helps but I think a lot of thal minors have shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat when we have little bursts of activity like climbing stairs and stuff. Also I have heart palpatations too. There is a actually a post thread from a couple of weeks ago that you might want to look at that is all about heart palpatations.

Hi Unafraid and welcome,

Every symptom you mention is commonly reported here by other thal minors. Minors have one good hemoglobin gene and one not so good thal Hb gene. The red blood cells produced by that gene are typically smaller and irregular in shape, which leads to an earlier than normal demise of those cells. You see the result of this in your raised bilirubin. This can eventually build up as "sludge" in the gallbladder.

I hope you will read through relevant threads in the minor section. It will give you more understanding and perhaps more to tell your doctor about the experience of others with thal minor. You should also be aware that two minors can produce a major child, as this knowledge can allow you to make informed choices if you choose to have children.

I had an ultrasound done and they said that there is no sludge in the gallbladder.