Hi all,
I just wanted to let you all know that there is a minor advantage in having thal. We are resistant to the malarial parasite. I found some info that I am pasting below. Small advantage this! I'd rather have the malaria than this nasty thing!
![:mad](http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/Smileys/classic/icon_mad.gif)
If thal was a football, I would have kicked it out of the universe,
If thal was goliath, I would have been david,
If thal was medusa, I would be perseus!
Post:
In 1949, Haldane suggested a selective advantage for survival in individuals with the thalassemia trait in regions where malaria is endemic. He argued that lethal RBC disorders such as thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and G-6-PD deficiency are present almost exclusively in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The incidence of these genetic mutations in a certain population thus reflects the balance between the premature death of homozygotes and the increased fitness of heterozygotes.
For instance, in b thalassemia, the frequency of the gene is greater than 1% in the Mediterranean Basin, India, Southeast Asia, North Africa, and Indonesia; it is very uncommon in other parts of the world. a thalassemia may be the most common single gene disorder in the world (5-10% in the Mediterranean, 20-30% in West Africa, approximately 68% in the South Pacific); however, the gene prevalence in Northern Europe and Japan is less than 1%.
The mechanism of protection against malaria is not clear. Hb F in cells has been demonstrated to retard the growth of the malaria parasite, and, by virtue of its high level in infants with b thalassemia trait, the fatal cerebral malaria known to kill infants in these areas may be prevented. The RBCs of patients with Hb H disease have also shown a suppressive effect on the growth of the parasites. This effect is not observed in a thalassemia trait.
Taken from emedicine
Regards,
Namitha