How do you get Homozygous Beta Thalassemia Major (Cooleys Anemia) disease?
Homozygous Beta Thalassemia Major is an inherited disease. It is passed on from a child’s mother and father through their genes. People who have one or more parent who carries the genetic trait for thalassemia are likely to inherit Homozygous Beta Thalassemia Major. This means that the disease is something your child has at birth and throughout their life. It is not a communicable disease, you cannot catch it form someone else. Hemoglobin consists of three parts: 1) a heme protein; 2) an alpha globin; and 3) a beta globin. In Cooley’s Anemia disease, the amount of beta globin made by the body is dramatically decreased. The amount of beta globin to be made depends on the inherited instructions on each person’s genes. Genes are found in every cell of the body (except red blood cells).