What is Β-thalassemia?

Β-thalassemia is when your body has trouble making enough red blood cells, which help carry oxygen around your body.

Imagine you're building a Lego tower. Each brick represents a part of a red blood cell. In Β-thalassemia, some of the bricks are missing or broken, so the tower doesn’t get as tall or strong as it should be. That means your red blood cells can't carry as much oxygen, and you might feel tired or weak more often.

Normally, your body uses a special recipe to build red blood cells. This recipe includes something called beta-globin, which is like the glue that holds the bricks together in the Lego tower. In Β-thalassemia, this glue doesn’t work as well, or not at all, so the red blood cells don't form properly.

If you have a lot of beta-globin missing, your body might make very small or broken red blood cells. This can lead to feeling tired easily, having pale skin, or even needing extra iron in your diet, like an apple or a peanut butter sandwich!