What Are The Complications Of Thalassemia?

Bone Deformities

Bone deformities may occur in some thalassemia patients as a complication of the disorder. The nature of thalassemia causes the affected individual to have anemia or too little healthy red blood cells. The body responds by trying to compensate for this lack of healthy red blood cells by attempting to produce more. Since the bone marrow is the site of red blood cell production, this spongy part of the bone expands in an effort to produce more red blood cells. The irregular bone marrow expansion causes the bones to widen and become brittle. Because symptoms of thalassemia occur in the early stages of an individual's life, the affected bones may grow incorrectly into abnormal or deformed shapes. The most common bones to be affected by this complication are the long bones of the legs, bones in the arms, and particular bones in the face. These deformities in the face can give the affected individuals a number of distinctive facial features. The bones affected by this complication are also prone to fracturing upon minimal impact.