title: The current status of β-thalassemia major in Mainland China.
abstract: β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is caused by a decrease in the production of β-globin chains that is a genetic disorder worldwide. The diagnosis of β-thal major (β-TM) depends on clinical manifestations, laboratory investigations, family history and genetic analysis. Patients with β-TM require long-term blood transfusion and chelation therapy. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only strategy for curing this disease. Many patients with β-TM cannot get regular diagnosis and treatment in developing countries. With economic improvement and medical technology development, a great progress has been made in Mainland China. In this study, we describe the current status of diagnosis and treatment of β-thal in Mainland China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lu-Hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jian-Pei
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D006801:Humans; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*