thalassemia

thalassemia /thal′əsē″mē·ə/ [Gk, thalassa, sea, a + haima, without blood] , production and hemolytic anemia characterized by microcytic, hypochromic red blood cells. Thalassemia is caused by inherited deficiency of alpha- or beta-globin synthesis. See also hemochromatosis, hemosiderosis.

Thalassemia major (Courtesy Dr. William D. Edwards, Mayo Clinic)
Thalassemia minor (Damjanov and Linder, 2000)