Fast Facts for Patients: Beta Thalassemia

This booklet aims to help you understand beta thalassemia (BT) so you can talk to your medical team about your condition and its treatment. BT is a blood condition you’re born with. It affects your red blood cells. BT is a disease caused by changes (mutations) in genes that are passed on from parent to child. You have BT when you inherit a gene change from both of your parents. There are two types of BT disease – BT major and BT intermedia. A person can also be a healthy carrier of BT without ha