Also called: Cooley's anemia · Mediterranean anemia
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Thalassemia
Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders. If you have one, your body makes fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen to the body. That leads to anemia. Thalassemias occur most often among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Southern Asian, and African descent.
Thalassemias can be mild or severe. Some people have no symptoms or mild anemia. The most common severe type in the United States is called Cooley's anemia. It usually appears during the first two years of life. People with it may have severe anemia, slowed growth and delayed puberty, and problems with the spleen, liver, heart, or bones.
Doctors diagnose thalassemias using blood tests. Treatments include blood transfusions and treatment to remove excess iron from the body. If you have mild symptoms or no symptoms, you may not need treatment. In some severe cases, you may need a bone marrow transplant.
It sits within Blood, Heart and Circulation.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Thalassemia
573 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Partial Stem Cell Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease From Matched DonorsNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Collection of Human Biospecimens for Basic and Clinical Research Into Globin VariantsNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Gene-Modified Stem Cell Therapy for Subjects With Transfusion-dependent Beta-thalassemiaFondazione Telethon
- Myeloablative Conditioning, Prophylactic Defibrotide and Haplo AlloSCT for Patients With Sickle Cell DiseaseNew York Medical College
- Low-Dose Liposomal Amphotericin B for Invasive Fungal Infection Prophylaxis in Neutropenic ChildrenHaikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine
- Growth Evaluation, Health Promotion, and Clinical Management in Children and Adolescents With ThalassemiaInstitute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, China
Research already completed
- Observational Study: Hetrombopag for Platelet Recovery in Haploidentical HSCTHaikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine
- Observational Study: Romiplostim for Platelet Recovery in Haploidentical HSCTHaikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- About ThalassemiaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- About ThalassemiaNational Human Genome Research Institute
- ThalassemiaMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- What Is Thalassemia?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Hemoglobin ElectrophoresisNational Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Iron ChelationAplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation
- Treatment of ThalassemiaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Treatments for Blood DisordersNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Living With
- Living with ThalassemiaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Real Stories from People Living with ThalassemiaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Genetics
- Alpha thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Alpha thalassemia: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Beta thalassemia: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: beta-ThalassemiaNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: ThalassemiaNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Thalassemia. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Thalassemia, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.