Potential thalassemia minor and looking for support...

Hi! I don't know yet if I have thalassemia minor, but I was recommended by my naturopath to get the test done in 2 months.

I'm just looking for some support. I've been taking iron supplements for a long time (8 years) and they helped me feel more alert and energetic, but I still felt tired and weaker than other people. Finally my naturopath looked at my bloodwork from 3 years ago (recent blood work didn't seem urgent because of covid) and noticed I had high ferritin and low hemoglobin (both were just above and below the normal range so not extremely high or low), and recommended I get tested for thalassemia.

You will require a haemoglobin electrophoresis and DNA testing. Haemoglobin electrophoresis will produce an inconclusive result if you carry alpha thal trait. It is also possible to carry both alpha and beta traits.

An iron panel consisting of transferrin saturation, total iron binding capacity and iron serum also needs to be conducted.

Where I am from, doctors will usually prescribe B12 with folic acid/folate but we opted for sublingual methylcobalamin and methylfolate. The amount of B12 and folate in B-Complex is not sufficient.

You should definitely find out more before continuing iron supplements. The high ferritin could be of concern. Do you have the results of a complete blood count, CBC? MCV, RBC and RDW values would be useful.

Melissa mentioned DNA testing. I have a full printout of mine, from an interest in family history - but how can I identify the gene that's responsible? Is there any place I can forward the file to?

My trait was confirmed by the central laboratory in a regional group of hospitals, and they issued me with a "Haemoglobinopathy Card" 30 years ago. I have no idea what special tests may have been carried out on my blood sample, but my GP gave the impression that it was detected purely from the very small red corpuscles.

Alec.