Which Thalassemia Patients Are Evaluated for a Bone Marrow Transplant, and How?

The transfusion is finished, the cannula is out, and a nine-year-old is negotiating for a second juice box. Her mother, meanwhile, is asking the hematologist a question she has been rehearsing for weeks: is a transplant something we should be thinking about, and how would anyone decide?

It is a fair question, and a common one. Bone marrow transplant thalassemia eligibility is not a single test or a single number. It is a structured conversation in which a team weighs the severity of the condition, the availability of a donor, how much iron has already settled into the liver and heart, and the age and general health of the person in the chair.

This explainer walks through that conversation: what the procedure actually does, who tends to be put forward, who tends to be asked to wait, what the tests look for, and what the weeks afterward usually hold. Every decision described here belongs to the treating team. The aim is to help families walk into that room knowing what will be discussed and why.

Why is a bone marrow transplant even considered for thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited condition in which the body makes too little of one of the protein chains that build hemoglobin, the molecule inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. In the most severe form, usually called beta thalassemia major or transfusion-dependent thalassemia, the bone marrow cannot make enough healthy red cells, and a person needs regular blood transfusions from early childhood; MedlinePlus and the CDC describe these as recurring every few weeks for life.

Transfusions keep someone alive and growing, but every unit of blood brings iron the body has no way to excrete. Over the years that iron settles into the liver, the heart and the hormone-producing glands. Medicines called iron chelators, which bind iron so it can be passed in urine or stool, hold the damage back, yet they must be taken for life and demand steady attention.

A bone marrow transplant, more precisely a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, addresses the problem at its source. It replaces the blood-forming system that carries the faulty gene with one from a donor who does not have thalassemia. If the new marrow takes hold, the body starts making its own healthy red cells, and the cycle of transfusion and iron loading can stop.

That is a very different proposition from managing a condition, and it is why the option exists at all. It also carries real risk. The NHS notes that transplants for thalassemia are not carried out often because of the serious complications they can cause. So the question a team is really answering is not whether a transplant can be done, but for whom, and when, the balance of benefit and harm makes sense.

How does a bone marrow transplant for thalassemia actually work?

Strip away the vocabulary and the process has three stages: clear the space, deliver the new cells, wait for them to settle.

Clearing the space is called conditioning. Over several days a person receives chemotherapy, sometimes with other medicines, to destroy their existing bone marrow, including the stem cells that carry the thalassemia gene, and to quiet the immune system so it will not attack the incoming cells. Stem cells, in this context, are the immature cells in the marrow that give rise to every red cell, white cell and platelet. Conditioning is also the stage that accounts for many of the side effects discussed later, because it affects rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, not only in the marrow.

Delivering the cells looks anticlimactic. Donor stem cells, collected either from the donor’s bone marrow under anesthesia or from their bloodstream after a few days of a medicine that mobilizes stem cells, are given through a central line, a soft tube placed in a large vein, much like a transfusion. The cells find their own way to the marrow cavities inside the bones.

Settling is called engraftment, the point at which the donor cells begin producing new blood cells that appear in the bloodstream. The NHS and Mayo Clinic describe this as typically taking a few weeks, during which blood counts are very low and infection risk is high.

One term worth knowing early is chimerism: the proportion of blood cells that come from the donor versus the original marrow. Transplant teams follow it closely, because in thalassemia a stable mix of donor and recipient cells can still be enough to end transfusions, while a falling donor share can signal that the graft is being rejected.

Bone marrow transplant thalassemia eligibility: what the team weighs first

Eligibility is best understood as a set of questions asked in sequence, each narrowing the field.

The first is severity. Transplant is discussed for people whose thalassemia is transfusion-dependent, because only then does a procedure with serious risks stand a chance of offering a proportionate benefit. Someone with thalassemia trait, who carries one altered gene and is essentially healthy, is never a candidate. Someone with the intermediate form, who needs occasional or no transfusions, is usually managed in other ways.

The second is a donor. Without a suitably matched source of stem cells, the conversation pauses at the registry search stage. The matched sibling donor remains the preferred option, and the availability of that sibling often decides whether the discussion moves forward quickly or slowly.

The third is the state of the organs. Iron that has accumulated in the liver and heart raises the toxicity of conditioning and the risk of complications, so the team measures it directly rather than assuming. This is where age enters, since younger children have simply had fewer years of transfusion.

The fourth is everything else that makes a body ready for a demanding treatment: infections, kidney and lung function, growth, nutrition, and the family’s capacity to manage months of close follow-up.

Notice what is missing from this list: a threshold that a family could check at home. None of these factors is meant to be self-assessed. The purpose of an evaluation is to gather the measurements a team needs, put them alongside the family’s own values and circumstances, and reach a shared decision. In practice, the strongest theme in the evidence is timing. Evaluation tends to be most useful when it happens before iron has done lasting damage, not as a last resort afterward.

Who is usually considered, and who is usually asked to wait?

Across mainstream guidance, the clearest candidate profile is a child with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, a fully matched sibling who does not have the condition, and a liver and heart that have not yet been marked by iron. Mayo Clinic and the NHS both describe transplant as an option mainly for children with severe thalassemia, and for good reason: the risks of conditioning and rejection are lowest when the body is young and iron burden is low.

Others are considered, but with more caveats. Children without a sibling match may be put forward for a matched unrelated donor found through a registry, or for a half-matched family donor, if the team judges that the extra immunological risk is acceptable. Teenagers and adults with well-controlled iron levels and healthy organs are increasingly discussed, though the evidence base in adults is smaller and the decision is more individualized.

Then there are the groups usually asked to wait, or not offered transplant at all:

• People with thalassemia trait, and most people with non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia, because the risks would outweigh any plausible benefit.
• Anyone with an active infection, which must be treated first since conditioning removes the body’s defenses.
• People whose iron overload is high or whose liver shows scarring; here waiting usually means a period of intensified chelation, with repeat imaging, before the question is revisited.
• Those for whom no adequately matched donor has yet been identified; the search may continue while other care carries on.
• Anyone with heart, lung or kidney function too impaired to tolerate conditioning safely.
• People who are pregnant, for whom the timing is deferred.

Being asked to wait is not the same as being told no. Often it is a plan: optimize iron control, complete the donor search, treat what can be treated, and return to the conversation.

Why do age and iron overload matter so much in thalassemia transplant eligibility?

Two variables carry disproportionate weight in the decision, and they are related.

Iron is the first. Transplant teams have long used a three-factor risk grouping developed from early thalassemia transplant experience. It looks at whether the liver is enlarged, whether a liver sample shows fibrosis (scarring), and whether iron chelation has been given consistently over the years. People with none of these findings fall into the lowest-risk group; those with all three fall into the highest. The reason is mechanical rather than mysterious. A liver loaded with iron and already scarred handles chemotherapy poorly, and iron in the heart muscle leaves less reserve for the stresses of infection, fluid shifts and anemia that follow conditioning.

Age is the second, and much of its influence runs through iron. A four-year-old has had far fewer transfusions than a fourteen-year-old, so the iron burden, and the organ damage that follows it, is usually smaller. Younger recipients also tend to have had less exposure to donor blood cells, which matters because repeated transfusions can prime the immune system to recognize and reject foreign cells, a risk the team must counter with the conditioning plan.

Modern evaluation measures rather than guesses. A blood test for ferritin, a protein that stores iron, gives a rough gauge. MRI scans using a technique called T2* estimate how much iron sits in the liver and heart without a needle, and have largely replaced routine liver biopsy for this purpose. The team also reviews the chelation history honestly, not to assign blame but because it predicts what the organs look like.

The practical lesson for families is uncomfortable but useful: the risk profile of a transplant is not fixed. It generally worsens as iron accumulates, which is why hematologists prefer to raise the question early rather than late.

How does donor matching work, and why is a matched sibling donor for thalassemia preferred?

Matching hinges on HLA, short for human leukocyte antigen: a set of protein markers on the surface of cells that the immune system uses to tell self from non-self. The closer the donor’s HLA markers are to the recipient’s, the less likely the new immune system is to attack the body (graft-versus-host disease) and the less likely the body is to reject the graft.

Siblings inherit half their HLA set from each parent, which is why a brother or sister has roughly a 1 in 4 chance of being a full match, a figure the NHS uses in its transplant guidance. A sibling who carries thalassemia trait can still donate; only a sibling who themselves has the transfusion-dependent form is ruled out. Testing is done with a blood sample or cheek swab, and teams are careful about how they involve young siblings, since a child who is a match will later face a donation procedure under anesthesia and deserves age-appropriate explanation and support.

When no sibling matches, the search widens in a defined order:

• A matched unrelated donor, found through national and international registries of volunteers who have been HLA typed.
• Cord blood, stem cells stored from a placenta at birth, which can tolerate slightly less perfect matching but provides fewer cells.
• A haploidentical donor, meaning a half-matched family member such as a parent, made possible by newer conditioning and immune-suppression strategies.

Each step down this list trades some match quality for availability. The team weighs that trade against how urgently the transplant is needed, how heavily transfused the person has been, and the experience of the center with each donor type. Families sometimes assume that any willing relative can donate; in reality, willingness is the easy part, and HLA does the deciding.

What tests happen before a bone marrow transplant for thalassemia?

The evaluation is thorough because conditioning removes the margin for surprises. It usually unfolds over several outpatient visits and ends with a multidisciplinary meeting where hematologists, transplant physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and psychologists review the picture together.

Confirming the diagnosis comes first. Hemoglobin electrophoresis and genetic testing establish exactly which thalassemia variant is present, and a transfusion history clarifies how dependent the person is.

HLA typing follows for the patient and any potential donors, along with a search of donor registries if needed.

Organ assessment forms the core of the workup:

• MRI of the liver and heart to quantify iron, plus ferritin and liver enzyme blood tests.
• An echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart, and an electrocardiogram to check pumping strength and rhythm.
• Lung function tests, since conditioning medicines and later infections can affect breathing.
• Kidney function tests, because many transplant medicines are cleared by the kidneys.
• Hormone checks for thyroid, growth and puberty, which iron can disturb.

Infection screening looks for hepatitis B and C, HIV, and cytomegalovirus, a common virus that can reactivate when immunity is suppressed. Dental review identifies hidden sources of infection before white cell counts fall.

Two conversations sit alongside the tests. Fertility counseling is offered because conditioning chemotherapy can affect the ovaries and testes; options for preserving fertility depend on age and are discussed case by case. A psychosocial assessment explores school, work, housing near the center, caregiving capacity and the family’s understanding of what lies ahead, because the months after transplant are demanding on everyone.

None of these tests produces a pass or fail on its own. They are pieces the team assembles into a judgment about whether, and when, proceeding is reasonable.

Eligibility factors at a glance: a summary table

Families often ask for a single sheet that puts the moving parts side by side. The table below summarizes the factors most transplant teams consider and how each tends to shape the decision. It is a map of the conversation, not a scoring tool, and individual teams weigh these elements differently.

Factor	How it is assessed	How it usually shapes the decision
Type and severity of thalassemia	Genetic testing, hemoglobin studies, transfusion history	Transplant is discussed only for transfusion-dependent disease
Donor availability and match	HLA typing of siblings; registry search; cord blood or haploidentical options	Full sibling match favored; other donors weighed against added immune risk
Liver iron and scarring	MRI T2*, ferritin, liver enzymes; biopsy in selected cases	Higher iron or fibrosis raises risk; may prompt intensified chelation first
Heart iron and function	Cardiac MRI, echocardiogram, ECG	Iron in the heart or reduced function increases conditioning risk
Age	Clinical history	Younger age generally means less iron and less immune sensitization
Chelation history	Records and discussion with family	Consistent chelation predicts healthier organs
Infection status	Viral screening, dental and skin review	Active infection is treated before proceeding
Lung and kidney function	Spirometry, blood and urine tests	Impairment may delay or rule out conditioning
Family and practical readiness	Psychosocial assessment	Shapes timing and the support plan, rarely a barrier on its own

Reading down the right-hand column, a pattern emerges. Most factors do not shut the door; they change the timing or the plan. The exceptions are the first two rows. Without transfusion-dependent disease there is no proportionate benefit, and without a donor there is no procedure. Everything else is a matter of preparing the body and the family so that the risks, described next, are as low as they can reasonably be made.

What are the risks of a stem cell transplant for thalassemia?

Transplant is a serious treatment, and honesty about that is the foundation of any eligibility discussion. The NHS is direct that stem cell transplants carry significant risks and can, in some cases, be fatal. The main complications fall into a handful of groups.

Graft-versus-host disease, usually shortened to GVHD, occurs when immune cells from the donor recognize the recipient’s body as foreign and attack it. The acute form typically affects the skin, gut and liver in the early months; the chronic form can appear later and involve the skin, eyes, mouth, lungs and joints. Immunosuppressant medicines, which dampen the new immune system, are given to reduce this risk and are tapered over months as tolerance develops, on a schedule set by the transplant team.

Graft failure or rejection is the mirror image: the recipient’s surviving immune cells reject the donor marrow. This concern is somewhat more prominent in thalassemia than in some other transplant indications, because the person’s own immune system is intact going in and may have been primed by years of transfusion.

Infection is the everyday danger of the early weeks, when white cell counts are near zero. Bacterial, viral and fungal infections can escalate quickly, which is why fever after transplant is treated as an emergency.

Conditioning itself causes mucositis, painful inflammation of the mouth and gut lining, along with nausea, hair loss and fatigue. A liver complication called sinusoidal obstruction syndrome can occur, and iron-loaded livers are more vulnerable to it.

Longer-term effects include reduced fertility, hormonal changes, and a small increased risk of second cancers years later. Weighing these against a lifetime of transfusion and chelation is exactly the judgment the evaluation exists to support, and reasonable families, with the same information, reach different conclusions.

What do the weeks and months after transplant usually look like?

The first stretch is spent in hospital. The NHS describes a stay of a few weeks, in a protected room with strict hand hygiene and limits on visitors, while blood counts sit at their lowest. Transfusions of red cells and platelets continue during this window, which surprises some families; the point of the procedure is to end transfusions eventually, not immediately.

Engraftment, when donor cells begin to appear in the blood, typically arrives within a few weeks according to NHS and Mayo Clinic descriptions. Energy does not return on the same timetable. Mucositis eases, appetite creeps back, and the central line usually stays in place for medicines and blood draws.

Discharge shifts care to frequent clinic visits, often several times a week at first, then less often. The team checks blood counts, watches for signs of GVHD, screens for viral reactivation, and measures chimerism to confirm the donor cells are holding their ground. Immunosuppressants are reduced gradually over months under close supervision.

One detail deserves emphasis: iron does not leave the body just because transfusions stop. Years of stored iron remain in the liver and heart, and after recovery the team usually plans to remove it, either by controlled blood removal, called phlebotomy, once the new marrow is strong enough, or by continuing chelation for a period. Follow-up MRI tracks the result.

Vaccinations are essentially restarted from scratch, since the new immune system has no memory of childhood immunizations; the schedule is set by the team.

Return to school or work is gradual and depends on counts, infection risk and energy. The NHS notes that full recovery from a stem cell transplant can take a year or more. Families who go in expecting a marathon rather than a sprint tend to cope better with the inevitable slow weeks.

What are the alternatives to a transplant for thalassemia?

Eligibility conversations are incomplete without a clear account of what happens if transplant is declined, deferred or not available. The alternatives are not consolation prizes; for many people they are the right path.

Standard care rests on two pillars. Regular red cell transfusions maintain hemoglobin at a level that supports growth, activity and organ health. Iron chelation removes the iron those transfusions deliver. Chelators work by binding iron in the blood and tissues so the body can excrete it; they are taken by mouth or by infusion depending on the medicine, and the choice, timing and adjustment belong entirely to the prescribing clinician. Done consistently, this combination allows people with thalassemia major to live into adulthood, though it demands lifelong effort and regular monitoring of the heart, liver and hormones.

Removal of the spleen is sometimes considered when an enlarged spleen destroys red cells faster than transfusions can replace them, but it raises infection and clot risk and is used more selectively than in the past.

Newer medicines exist. One class, sometimes described as erythroid maturation agents, helps developing red cells mature more normally and has been studied in adults with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia as a way to reduce transfusion needs. Whether such a medicine is appropriate is a decision for the treating team, and it does not replace the underlying gene.

Gene therapy is the newest approach: a person’s own stem cells are collected, altered in a laboratory to produce functional hemoglobin, and returned after conditioning chemotherapy. It removes the need for a donor and the risk of GVHD, but still involves conditioning and its consequences, has its own eligibility criteria, and is available only in specific settings. The NIH and NHS describe it as an emerging option rather than a routine one.

What people often get wrong about thalassemia transplant eligibility

Several beliefs surface again and again in clinic, and correcting them changes how families approach the decision.

The first is that transplant is reserved for the sickest. The evidence points the other way. Because risk rises with iron burden and organ damage, the lowest-risk candidates are often children who are currently doing well on transfusions. Waiting until things deteriorate tends to make the procedure harder, not easier.

The second is that adults are automatically excluded. Age is a strong factor, but it acts mostly through iron load, immune sensitization and organ health. An adult with excellent iron control and healthy organs may still be discussed, with a franker acknowledgment of the thinner evidence base.

The third is that a matched sibling guarantees a smooth course. A full match lowers the risk of GVHD and rejection; it does not remove infection, conditioning toxicity or the possibility of graft failure.

The fourth is that thalassemia carriers, or people with mild intermediate forms, should seek transplant to prevent future problems. They should not. For anyone who is not transfusion-dependent, the risks of the procedure are out of proportion to any benefit.

The fifth is that stopping transfusions means the iron problem is over. Stored iron remains and usually needs a post-transplant removal plan.

The sixth is that a transplant is a one-time event that ends hospital life. In reality, the year after transplant involves more visits than most families have ever had.

The last is that declining now closes the door permanently. Eligibility is reassessed as circumstances change: a new sibling, improved iron control, or an expanded donor search can all reopen the question. A decision to wait is a decision, not a verdict.

Questions to ask your care team about a bone marrow transplant for thalassemia

Evaluation appointments move quickly, and it helps to arrive with the questions that matter most already written down. The list below is a starting point; your team will welcome any of them.

• Based on my or my child’s current transfusion needs, is transplant a reasonable option to evaluate, and if not now, when would you revisit it?
• What do the MRI and blood tests say about iron in the liver and heart, and which risk group does that put us in?
• Do any siblings match, and if not, what donor options would you consider next and how do their risks differ?
• What would you want to improve before proceeding, such as iron control or an infection, and how would we know when that goal has been reached?
• Which conditioning approach would you use, and what are its most likely short-term and long-term effects?
• How would you monitor for graft-versus-host disease and rejection, and what would each look like to us at home?
• What is your plan for removing stored iron after recovery?
• What fertility preservation options exist at this age, and when would they need to happen?
• How long is the expected hospital stay, and what support is available for a family living away from home?
• What does the first year of follow-up involve in terms of visits, tests and restrictions on school or work?
• If we choose not to proceed, what does ongoing care look like, and what newer options might become relevant?
• Who is our single point of contact when a question comes up at night or on a weekend?

A useful habit is to ask the team to summarize, in their own words, why they lean the way they do. Hearing the reasoning aloud often reveals which factor is carrying the most weight, and that is usually the factor worth understanding best.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs in thalassemia and after transplant

Whether or not a transplant is on the horizon, people with transfusion-dependent thalassemia and their families benefit from knowing which changes should not wait for the next scheduled visit.

For anyone living with thalassemia, contact the care team promptly, or seek emergency care, for:

• Fever, especially after a splenectomy or during any period of low white cell counts.
• New or worsening breathlessness, chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or fainting, which can signal heart strain from anemia or iron.
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or pain and swelling in the upper right abdomen.
• Marked fatigue or pallor that appears sooner than usual before a transfusion.
• Severe headache, weakness on one side, or slurred speech.
• Any reaction during or shortly after a transfusion, such as chills, back pain, rash or difficulty breathing.

After a transplant, the threshold is lower still, because the immune system is rebuilding and complications can escalate within hours. Call the transplant team immediately, using the emergency number they provide, for:

• Any fever at all, or shaking chills, even without other symptoms.
• A new rash, particularly on the palms, soles, ears or trunk, which can be an early sign of graft-versus-host disease.
• Persistent diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, or vomiting that prevents medicines being kept down.
• Mouth sores that stop eating or drinking, or signs of dehydration.
• Unusual bleeding or bruising, blood in urine or stool, or nosebleeds that will not stop.
• Cough, breathlessness, or pain or redness around the central line.
• Confusion, severe headache, or a sudden change in vision.

This is not a diagnostic checklist and cannot replace assessment. When in doubt, the safest step is a phone call. Transplant and hematology teams expect these calls and would far rather hear about a symptom that turns out to be minor than miss one that is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a thalassemia transplant age limit?

There is no fixed age cutoff in mainstream guidance, but transplant is most often considered in children because younger recipients usually carry less iron, have less organ damage and have been exposed to fewer transfusions. Teenagers and adults may be evaluated when iron is well controlled and organs are healthy, with the understanding that the evidence in older groups is thinner and the decision more individualized. The treating team makes that judgment case by case.

What is a matched sibling donor for thalassemia, and why is it preferred?

A matched sibling donor is a brother or sister whose HLA tissue markers fully match the patient’s, which lowers the risk of graft-versus-host disease and rejection. Siblings have about a 1 in 4 chance of matching, according to the NHS. A sibling with thalassemia trait can donate; only one with the transfusion-dependent form cannot. When no sibling matches, teams consider unrelated registry donors, cord blood or half-matched family members.

Can someone with thalassemia trait have a bone marrow transplant?

No. Thalassemia trait means carrying one altered gene, and people with it are generally healthy, so the serious risks of conditioning chemotherapy and transplant would far outweigh any benefit. Transplant is discussed only for people who depend on regular transfusions. Carriers do benefit from genetic counseling, especially when planning a family, because two carriers can have a child with the severe form.

What is a stem cell transplant for thalassemia major, in simple terms?

It replaces the bone marrow that carries the thalassemia gene with blood-forming stem cells from a healthy donor. Chemotherapy first clears the existing marrow and quiets the immune system; the donor cells are then given through a vein and travel to the bones. Once they engraft, which the NHS and Mayo Clinic describe as taking a few weeks, the body can begin making its own healthy red cells.

What are the main bone marrow transplant risks in thalassemia?

The principal risks are graft-versus-host disease, in which donor immune cells attack the body; graft failure or rejection; serious infection during the weeks of very low blood counts; and side effects of conditioning such as mouth and gut inflammation and liver complications. Longer-term concerns include reduced fertility, hormonal changes and a small increase in second cancers. The NHS states plainly that these transplants carry significant risk.

Why does iron overload affect transplant eligibility?

Iron that has accumulated from years of transfusion damages the liver and heart, and damaged organs tolerate conditioning chemotherapy poorly. Liver scarring in particular raises the risk of complications. Teams measure iron with MRI and blood tests and may ask a family to spend time intensifying chelation before revisiting the decision. This is why hematologists often prefer to raise the transplant question early rather than late.

What tests are done before a bone marrow transplant for thalassemia?

The workup includes confirmation of the thalassemia type by genetic and hemoglobin testing, HLA typing of the patient and potential donors, MRI measurement of liver and heart iron, an echocardiogram, lung and kidney function tests, hormone checks, and screening for infections such as hepatitis, HIV and cytomegalovirus. Dental review, fertility counseling and a psychosocial assessment round it out before a multidisciplinary team meeting.

Will transfusions stop straight after the transplant?

Not immediately. During the first weeks, blood counts fall to very low levels and transfusions of red cells and platelets usually continue until the donor marrow engrafts and produces enough cells on its own. The team follows chimerism, the proportion of blood cells coming from the donor, to judge when the new marrow is established. Stored iron also remains and is addressed separately after recovery.

How long is recovery after a stem cell transplant for thalassemia?

The NHS describes an initial hospital stay of a few weeks while blood counts are at their lowest, followed by frequent clinic visits for monitoring and gradual reduction of immunosuppressant medicines over months. Full recovery can take a year or more. Vaccinations are restarted, iron removal is planned, and return to school or work is gradual and guided by the team.

What if we decide not to go ahead with a transplant?

Standard care continues: regular transfusions, iron chelation prescribed and adjusted by the treating team, and routine monitoring of the heart, liver and hormones. Newer medicine classes and gene therapy may be discussed depending on age, type of thalassemia and availability. Declining now does not close the door permanently; eligibility is reassessed as iron control, donor options or circumstances change.

References

• NHS: Thalassaemia, treatment
• NHS: Stem cell and bone marrow transplants
• MedlinePlus: Thalassemia
• CDC: About thalassemia

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.