Prevent Thalassemia with Pre-Marital Screening

Sekainow.com  Thalassemia is a disease of blood disorders that is passed from parent to child. Although genetic, it does not mean this disease can not be prevented.

Dr. Pustika Amalia Wahidayat, SpA (K), of the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia - Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, said thalassemia is not a contagious disease. So getting married to a couple with thalassemia will not make a person a patient of thalassemia.

"Then why should screening? This screening is to avoid the decline of the disease to her child, because the decline of thalassemia disease follows Mendel's law so it is not affected by sex," said Dr. Amalia, in a media gathering at Kemenkes, South Jakarta.

In summary, the pattern of thalassemia decrease puts the child at least 25 percent of the risk of becoming a carrier of the disease. If both parents are carriers of the nature, the potential of the child is born to be thalassemia major to 25 percent, the child is born normal 25 percent and the child as the carrier of the nature of 50 percent.

But if only one parent is a carrier of the nature, then the risk of a normal child born increases to 50 percent and eliminates the risk of a child having major thalassemia. Even so if only one parent of a person with thalassemia major, the risk of the child experiencing the same thing disappears, even though the child remains at risk of being a carrier of the nature.

"Therefore, it is very important to screen before marriage to find out the status of the disease, especially if there is a family member who has thalassemia, we prevent the increasing number of new people with screening," he said.

Ruswandi, Chairman of the Thalassemia Foundation Indonesia has a story about how vetting changes the lives of patients. One of her relatives who was the bearer of the nature of her failed marriage after the results of the screening said her partner was also a fellow bearer of trait.

"This is already married, the invitation has been disseminated can be canceled.Therefore better screening from the beginning, class 1 high school for example.So before dating already know each status," he said.