Table 1 Co-morbidities and/or complications caused by major haemoglobin disorders
From: Haemoglobinopathies in Europe: health & migration policy perspectives
Thalassaemia major and intermedia | Sickle-cell disease |
|---|---|
Chronic Anaemia (if untreated) | Chronic anaemia |
Acute anaemia (increase haemolysis, bone marrow suppression, blood loss, spleen sequestration, malarial infection, etc.) | |
Iron overload (from the disease or blood transfusion) and its complications in the cardiac, hepatic and endocrine system | Adverse events related to hyperviscosity and vaso-occlusive crisis (Acute pain, acute chest syndrome, hyposplenism, nephropathy, proliferative retinopathy, etc.) and haemolysis and vasculopathy (Pulmonary hypertension; priapism, leg ulcers and cerebrovascular disease) |
Increased risk of infections (mainly transfusion related e.g. Hepatitis B and C) | Increased risk of infections related to hyposplenism (And to transfusions in transfused patients) |
Bone abnormalities and osteoporosis | Risk of osteonecrosis |