Thalassemia minor & G6PD marriage? (HELP)

hi Friends,

i have just recently joined the forum. all i know about my thalassemia is that i was anemic during my early childhood and on testing i was diagnosed with thalassemia minor. For the rest of my life i have never expereinced any health problems because of it let alone be anemia. Its been just recently that it has become a concern for me, not because of my health or something but because a girl i wanted to get married to.

she has G6pd which she only came to know few years back. she though suffer anemia as well because of it i believe. i just wanted to know could there be serious health issues in the kids if we get married? should i be worried? can it result in conditions like Thal-major or something?

i recently got my tests and ill mention some that you might help you with the answer.

RBC                       6.91  Range (4.63-6.08)  bit high :P
Hemoglobin            154   Range (137- 175)
MCV                      68.7  Range (79 - 92.2)
MCH                      22.3  Range (25.7 - 32.2)
RDW-CV                15.8   Range (11.6 - 14.4)

Rest of the things are normal

and Hemoglobin Electrophoresis

HbA             98    Range (96 - 99)
HbA2            2     Range (0 - 3.5)

I don't have any information about the girl's tests apart from what i have mentioned that she is g6pd.

Please help me out here as i am very tense. I don't want to be with anyone but her...

Salvador,

I will look into this more later but I have a question now. Are you an alpha thalassemia carrier? I ask because the HbA2 is normally elevated in beta thal minors, usually >5.

Hi Andy,

Thanks alot Andy for the reply. Im really sorry but i have no idea what type is it. Like i said all my life i neva had any sort of problems or symptoms and it neva even crossed my mind that i hv it. Its just now when i am to get married and the girl has this enzyme deficiency and it made me wonder if that could b a problem.

What would u suggest? Il wait for ur reply. 

With the low HbA2 noted and no HbF shown, it does look more like alpha thal than beta, especially since you have a high Hb level. Beta minors usually will have a slightly low Hb, while alpha carriers typically have normal Hb levels. I'll do more investigation about G6PD and thalassemia combined and report back when I have more info.

Thankss alot Andy..  Ur help means alot.. Il be waiting anxiously to hear from you further.

Salvador,

No, it cannot cause a severe condition like thal major. It could result in a slightly lower hemoglobin level, but nothing serious.

Incidents of hemolysis, the breakdown of red blood cells in those with G6PD are brought on by exposure to certain drugs and chemicals and from eating fava beans. We have a list of some of these substances that should be avoided by G6PD carriers at http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php/topic,3410.msg34830.html#msg34830
This list applies to those with more severe forms of alpha thal, but the same problem occurs with G6PD. Your girlfriend should avoid chemical fumes in general. Sometimes even synthetic perfumes can cause a crisis.

Thanks alot Andy for the help i really appreciate it.