Bone Deformities in Thal Minor Patients?

I am a new member here and I have very little information about Thalassemia.  I have several family members who also suffer from this disease and they know as little or less than I do about this disorder.  My 16 year old nephew was diagnosed with Thalassemia recently and he has a very unusual bone deformity of his chest.  I am not sure what the doctors called the deformity but his chest is raised on one side and very low on the other with sort of a lump in the middle near his sternum.  I was reading another site about Thalassemia and I discovered that it can cause certain bone deformities.  I was wondering if anyone else here might be experiencing this or know anything about it.  Many of my family members with Thalassemia suffer from severe bone and joint pain, myself included, but to my knowledge no other member of our family has anything like this.  My concern is that if my nephew is already experiencing pain and deformities associated with Thalassemia at 16 years of age, how bad might it get later in his life without proper care from a medical professional who understands this disease?

Thalassemia can result in bone deformities in individuals have long term low hemoglobin levels.  Such levels are rarely seen in thalassemia minors - but often are seen in untreated/under treated thalassemia major and thalassemia intermedia. 

Is your nephew possibly a thalassemia intermedia?  Perhaps his doctors can investigate.

Sharmin

I actually don't know what level of Thalassemia he has.  I don't think the doctor ever said.  He wouldn't have even been tested for it if my brother hadn't requested it because he was suffering from pallor, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc.  Scoliosis also runs in my family and when the deformity on my nephew's chest became obvious, the doctor said it was caused by his Scoliosis.  When I read about the bone deformities associated with Thalassemia, I thought perhaps it might be caused by the Thalassemia.  As a matter of fact, now that I am thinking about it, the only people in my family that have Scoliosis also have Thalassemia, with the exception of my youngest son.  He tested negative for Thalassemia but he suffers from all the symptoms (i.e, pallor, shortness of breath, fatigue, etc.)

Hi mgal
I have two kids who got thallassemia minor and both of them get joint pains. They dont have bone Defoemites but they get vitamin D defision and taking tablets all the time. I think your family who got joint pains should all check their vitamin D if the have not done it before. People with thallassimia cannot get proper oxygen to their bones,thats also one of the reason they get pains.

Dear All,

Symptoms and problems of Thalassemia:
1. Bone deformities in the face
2. Growth failure
3. Shortness of breath
4. Yellow skin (jaundice)
5. A physical exam may reveal a swollen (enlarged) spleen.
  
When A blood sample will be taken and sent to a laboratory for examination, red blood cells will appear small and abnormally shaped when looked at under a microscope and a complete blood count (CBC) reveals anemia.A test called hemoglobin electrophoresis shows the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin.

Untreated, thalassemia major leads to heart failure and liver problems, and makes a person more likely to develop infections.
  
Blood transfusions can help control some symptoms, but may result in too much iron which can damage the heart, liver, and endocrine system.


Please refer to site
http://www.sankalpindia.net/drupal/blood-donation-organization/thalassemia
for more details about thalassemia


Regards
Ajay