chest pain

Is there any correlation between Thalassemia and Chest pain???   I have been having chest pain for about 2 weeks and can't figure out why.  I went to the Doctor and he sent me to ER and they said my blood pressure was 221/186. The did the heart cath and other tests and nothing is wrong with my heart.  They put me on blood pressure meds and my blood pressure is still a little high - this morning 156/96-  .  So, I was wondering if maybe my thalassemia could be causing the chest pain? 

Hi Becky and    to our group,

Are you a thal major? Have you had high blood pressure for some time? Do you know what your ferritin level is?

I am not Thal major.  I was just diagnosed with high blood pressure about 2 weeks ago.  I don't know what my ferritin  level is but they said my blood was at a 8.9 or 9
I was diagnosed with thal about 7 years ago.  They said not to worry about it  -- that there was nothing they could do about it.  So I didn't think anything about it until it came up while I was in the hospital.  While I was in the hospital, the doctor was upset because I was anemic and she couldn't figure out why.  I told her I had Thal.  She said I was also Iron defecient?  but from what I have read I can't be both (can I)?
But anyway, my husband thinks that maybe the thal is causing my chest to hurt and he wants me to go see a hemotologist.

Hi Becky,

to the site!

If you haven't been on regular blood transfusions since your early child hood then it is clear that you are NOT Thal. Major.

You are possibly a Thal. Minor/Minima or a Thal. Intermedia (depending on the severity of the symptoms) and yes, anemia due to Iron deficiency can co-exist with Thal Minor. It's the transfusion dependent Thal. Major/Intermedia that get iron overloaded due to blood transfusion or the severe Thal. Minor which have increased iron absorption from food.

I hope this clears out any confusion that you had. Feel free to ask more questions that you may have in mind.

Take care, Peace!

Hi Becky,

Thal minor and iron deficiency anemia can co-exist but it is necessary to have a serum ferritin test to verify that you are iron deficient. Many doctors mistakenly give iron supplements to thal minors and for most of them it does no good and if continued long enough can lead to some iron overload. Doctors see the blood test results and automatically think iron, but with thalassemia this is usually not the case.  It is essential that you verify iron deficiency before taking iron for more than one month. Your hemoglobin level of around 9 is low but definitely in the thal minor range. I would suggest reading our posts about nutrition and also about thal minor in general and what symptoms people experience and any ways people have of dealing with thal.

I don't know if the chest pains could be related to thal. Normally, heart problems are seen mostly in transfusing thals and are related to iron overload for the most part. An echo cardiogram (ultrasound) may shed some light on whether or not there are any irregularities in your heart. Depending on where the pain is, it could also possibly be an enlarged spleen so you may want to ask your doctor to physically examine your spleen size. Digestive problems are also another possible cause of chest pains.

Do you have any history of high blood pressure or is this the first time? If so, has your doctor suggested a complete physical?

I got a call from the hemotologist.   The girl said that I should take Iron, Folate, and B-12 and come back next week.  Hemoglobin is at 10.  Fertitin is at 10.  That is all that was said.

Hi Becky,

If your ferritin is only 10 then you should definitely take iron supplements. If they disagree with your stomach, try a high iron diet. How much folate were you told to take daily? A dose of 1000 or more mcg per day is recommended for thals. B-12 washes out of your body quickly so taking it twice daily is also recommended.

Something that should also be checked if it hasn't already, is your thyroid. Hypothyroid can cause high blood pressure. Anemia is usually a cause of low blood pressure, so another cause should be considered.