Thalassemia

Thalassemia is indexed under Hematologic, Hemoglobinopathies. Also known as beta-thalassemia, alpha-thalassemia, thalassemia major, Cooley anemia.

US prevalence

A current U.S. national prevalence count was not identified. CDC-supported thalassemia treatment-center cohorts describe people receiving specialty care but are not population prevalence samples. Source: CDC — Thalassemia Treatment Centers; Chapin et al., U.S. adult thalassemia treatment-center cohort (CDC Stacks, 2022). Cites federal and non-federal sources, and the record does not say which one gave this figure. Label: REPORTED.

ICD-10-CM codes

D56, D56.1

Typical onset

Severe forms: diagnosed in infancy; trait: lifelong asymptomatic

Course

lifelong

Body systems

hematologic

Sex differences

Equal (autosomal recessive)

Racial and ethnic differences

Common in Mediterranean, South/Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, African descent

What this page does not establish

These figures describe populations, not individuals, and none of them is a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation. Prevalence estimates are approximate and reflect published ranges. Disparity figures are reported patterns, not causes.

Taxonomy last reviewed 2026-05-19. Each figure on the interactive page carries its own source and retrieval date, which can be later than this review.

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