thalassemia

noun

thal·as·se·mia | \ ˌtha-lə-ˈsē-mē-ə

Definition of thalassemia

: any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis (such as Cooley's anemia) that are marked by mild to severe hypochromic and microcytic anemia, result from the partial or complete failure in production of one or more globin chains, and tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, African, or southeastern Asian ancestry —sometimes used with a prefix (such as alpha-, beta-, or delta-) to indicate the hemoglobin chain affected — see beta-thalassemia

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Write to Joseph Walker at joseph.walker@wsj.com Corrections & Amplifications There are an estimated 1,000 people in the U.S. with beta thalassemia. — Joseph Walker, WSJ, "Biotech Proposes Paying for Pricey Drugs by Installment," 8 Jan. 2019 All of these patients entered the study with severe beta-thalassemia that required frequent blood transfusions. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "New Bluebird data show promising benefits for gene therapy, if they last," 15 June 2018 Acceleron and Celgene are conducting a second Phase 3 clinical trial of luspatercept in patients with beta-thalassemia, another blood disease. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "Acceleron blood disease drug hits goal in pivotal clinical trial," 28 June 2018 On Monday night, Celgene and Acceleron said their partnered drug luspatercept met all primary and secondary endpoints in a Phase 3 clinical trial of patients with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "Celgene is perking up. Here’s what needs to happen for the momentum to continue," 10 July 2018 The results: Seven of the eight beta-thalassemia patients no longer need chronic blood transfusions and all have normal hemoglobin levels. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "New Bluebird data show promising benefits for gene therapy, if they last," 15 June 2018 This type of gene disruption — called non-homologous end joining — is being used in sickle-cell and thalassemia trials. — Fox News, "Futuristic gene-editing technology may cause cancer," 13 June 2018 Between 60% and 80% of beta-thalassemia patients require regular red blood cell transfusions, which have serious side effects such as iron toxicity. — Sarah Toy, WSJ, "Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Patients with a Blood Disorder," 19 Apr. 2018 Aliyana has sickle beta plus thalassemia, a form that is often considered milder. — Cassie Owens, Philly.com, "This Bucks County teen isn't letting sickle cell stop her pageant dreams," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thalassemia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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24 Feb 2019

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The first known use of thalassemia was in 1932

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thalassemia

noun

thal·as·se·mia

variants: or British thalassaemia \ ˌthal-ə-ˈsē-mē-ə

Medical Definition of thalassemia

: any of a group of inherited hypochromic anemias and especially Cooley's anemia controlled by a series of allelic genes that cause reduction in or failure of synthesis of one of the globin chains making up hemoglobin and that tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, African, or southeastern Asian ancestry —sometimes used with a prefix (as alpha-, beta-, or delta-) to indicate the hemoglobin chain affected

— called also Mediterranean anemia

— see alpha-thalassemia, beta-thalassemia