In the June, 2010 issue of Blood, the eminent Dr David Weatherall presents this analysis of the status of the hemoglobin disorders as an emerging global health burden that must be confronted now, as we are sitting on a "time bomb." This has been a long time coming and I feel that data collection has finally caught up with the obvious mathematics of this situation. I have long stated that the rate of occurrence of thalassemia and the other hemoglobinopathies has been greatly understated. Just as he did with the study of symptoms among thal minors, Dr Weatherall has been at the vanguard of bringing this crisis to light. Dr Weatherall's long decades of dedication to helping the plight of those suffering from thalassemia speaks for itself. This man deserves a lifetime achievement award for his incredible body of work.
The article is attached to this post as a pdf file which can be opened with adobe reader. One bit I want to point out to give some idea of the scale of this problem is that a crude study in 2001 stated that for Sri Lanka to treat all patients born, it would take 10% of the total of all health expenditures in Lanka. This is staggering and one could expect similar estimates in other nations where thal is widespread. I also want to mention that for the first time, hemoglobin disorders are to be included in the revised Global Burden of Disease program. This is an important and necessary step if this planet is to ever make an attempt to defuse this "time bomb."