thalassemia minor on endurance sports

hi all, first of all thanks for this forum and sorry for my English

I'm from Spain and I suffer thalassemia minor, beta I supose.

I have practiced various sports in my life and I've always believed that my performance was below that other people and I would like to know how thalassemia affects to me, I mean, someone would be able to tell me more or less, in percentage, the difference suffering thalassemia minor on my performance in endurance sports?

another question, I have looked some articles about the treatments available, and I imagine that the cure will be on gene therapy using inactivated virus, someone has information about it? you think that one day a cure will be possible even for thalassemia minor?

thank you all for the answers

Well trying to answer myself I found some studies (sorry again about my english)

According to this study apparently thalassemia not influences, anyway I think it must specify more about the type of sport:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20013288

And these articles seem to indicate that if you have SCT is also positive to have alpha-thalassemia:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19029634

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8002118

I think I read something about having small red blood cells allows them to reach better to the blood capillaries being more efficient delivery of oxygen

Anyway I still thinking that Thalessemia is a limiting factor for endurance exercise, reading the many comments on this forum and based on my experiences ...is logical, less hemoglobin and with defects will carry much less oxygen ... anyone has more information??

for what concerns to the possible cure, I read news about gene therapy treatments applied in France but later were complications ...

http://www.haematologica.org/content/95/5/724.abstract

But I've also found several links about dr. Rivella that perhaps can solve the problema ... hopefully not take long to get a cure, especially for thalassemia major and intermedia and hopefully also for the minor

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120328/New-gene-transfer-technique-can-treat-beta-thalassemia-sickle-cell-anemia.aspx

regards!

Thal minor definitely affects athletic performance. Thal minor and tennis legend, Pete Sampras is a thal minor. Once he retired, he was interviewed and admitted that he did not announce his status during his career because he knew his endurance was limited and he felt that could be used against him in matches by the opponents using stalling tactics to drag out matches.

Thal minors typically have lower than normal Hb levels and this is a limiting factor. In addition, thal minors produce a significant amount of misshaped, defective red blood cells. These cells do not move through blood vessels as easily because of their irregular shapes and they also cause oxidation as they break down. The oxidation and subsequent loss of nitric oxide, NO from blood vessels can also adversely affect circulation and delivery of oxygen throughout the body.

Two keys in helping yourself are to look for antioxidant foods and supplements and NO promoters. Natural vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant and also helps to thin the blood, making it easier for blood to move through the capillaries. L-arginine, L-carnitine and L-citrulline can help to raise NO levels. Many fruits contain both L-carnitine and antioxidants.

I would also suggest reading some of the threads on the subject of thal minors and exercise, as many have contributed ideas over the years.

thank you very much for your reply andy

I read several posts and try to take care of my feeding, try to eat regularly spinach, beets, olive oil, foods rich in vitamin c ... anyway I think always will exist much difference in my performance against a person without thalassemia ...

I know it is not comparable suffer mild version with intermediate or major and I hope nobody is angry with me but in important moments of my life thalassemia has affected me a lot, when I was younger play sport with hopes of achieve some goals and I think the thalassemia not allowed me, now I'm opting to police force and I doubt I can pass the physical exam .... the truth is that it is a pain having thalassemia ....

Andy would know tell me the percentage approximately about my performance would vary without thalassemia? I know that the question is difficult ... do you think that one day not too far away, there will be a safe cure for thalassemia even for minors?

Thanks again for giving us a place to express ourselves.