Life Thalassaemia Prevention Centre- Sustaining Lives- Since 1993

Preventing Thalssaemia- Marshaling Awareness & Screening 

Thalassaemia is a genetic blood disorder that is worse than a disease and has no cure.Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders caused by a defect in the genes that results in abnormality characterized by the production of abnormal haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. In people with thalassemia, the body does not produce enough normal haemoglobin, which leads to anaemia.

The severity of thalassemia depends on the number of genes that are affected. People with Thalassemia Minor have one abnormal gene and do not usually have any symptoms. People with Thalassemia Trait have two abnormal genes and may have mild anaemia. People with Thalassemia Major have two or more abnormal genes and usually have severe anaemia.
 

Thalassaemia Major leads to pale skin, fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, enlarged spleen, growth retardation, bone deformities and heart problems.

There is no cure for Thalassemia, it can only be managed with treatment which includes frequent blood transfusions, iron chelation therapy and bone marrow transplant. 
 

Blood transfusions are the most common treatment for Thalassemia. Blood transfusions provide the body with the red blood cells it needs to carry oxygen. Iron chelation is a torturous therapy which is imperative to remove excess iron that can build up in the body due to repeated blood transfusions. 
 

Bone marrow transplant is a treatment that replaces the patient's bone marrow with healthy bone marrow from a donor. Bone marrow is the tissue that produces blood cells. The transplantation, extremely expensive & largely unaffordable, remains the only option for possible cure, and yet offers only 50% chance of survival.
 

Thalassaemia Minor or Trait, also termed as carrier is a person with inherited Thalassaemia trait who lives a normal life without health implications, but still is a carrier. In a marriage between a carrier and a normal partner, there is 50% probability of their child being a carrier or normal. 
 

However, marriage of two Thalassaemia carriers can produce a Thalassaemia Major Child with proper disorder in 25 % probability, who would need regular blood transfusions from early age till the ultimate, untimely death.   
Lack of adequate knowledge in society makes it imperative to create awareness on Thalassaemia as a deadly genetic blood disorder that needs to be averted.  
 

Community awareness, screening test for marriageable youth, antenatal, & prenatal tests for pregnant mothers can forestall this disorder and prevent its spread to future generations. Circumvention of at risk marriages and averting birth of Thalassaemia Major Children remains the ideal tool for prevention of Thalassaemia. 

Life Thalassaemia Prevention Centre (LTPC) operational under Indian Medical Scientific Research Foundation is devoted to Thalassaemia Prevention & Control through awareness programmes and mass screening tests of marriageable youth for this deadly blood disorder.  Prenatal and antenatal tests are offered for detecting Thalassaemia Major Children with related counselling support. 

A family counselling cell for prevention and management of the disorder at LTPC provides free life support through continual blood supply to Thalasseamia Major cases.    

LTPC is recognized by Government of Gujarat as Referral Centre for Thalassaemia and is registered with Department of Science & Technology (DST) as a Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (SIRO).

LTPC is located in Life Blood Centre (LBC), a state of the art transfusion facility  engaging contemporary science & technology and professional expertise. Spread over 15,000 sq. ft., LBC has served over 439 000+ patients in need. With a volunteer donor base of over 12000 and vast experience of over four decades, LBC is considered as one of the most reliable and prestigious blood banks with numerous national - international awards, certifications, citations and accomplishments to its credit, including the prestigious Developing Countries 2020 Award from ISBT (International Society of Blood Transfusion), Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (2020)  

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The ambitious Thalasseamia Awareness, Testing & Life support Programme implemented by LTPC has reached over 1.5 million people imparting knowledge and caution. 7,20,129 marriageable youth have been tested and vulnerable cases have been counselled and 124 Thalassaemia Major births have been averted by September 2024.  

LTPC’s unrelenting mission to make the society Thalassaemia free is sustained by voluntary blood donations and financial support from kind-hearted individuals & corporates.

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