Are you always feeling fatigue? Is it Thalassemia?

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Chronic fatigue can be very impairing and it may not be from depression

So many patients get referred to psych for fatigue and persistent tiredness. Those symptoms can be from depression, but all other medical causes need to be ruled out first. One thing that I see from time to time is thalassemias (a type of blood disorder) going unrecognized for generations!

Thalassemias are a group of inherited blood disorders that can cause chronic fatigue. Not everyone needs to be checked for a thalassemia, but if the person is always fatigued and “always anemic” and has a family history of “always being anemic” it’s definitely worth discussing with your PCP.

Here’s the kicker, the basic labs for thalassemia and iron deficiency anemia look the same! It’s very easy to misdiagnose this as iron deficiency anemia and recommend iron supplements. BUT some of these disorders can get worse with too much iron. The patients I’ve had get diagnosed with one of these blood disorders presented as having chronic low grade depression (persistent depressive disorder previously dysthymic disorder) and concerns for ADHD.

#mentalhealth #women #depression #adhd #dysthymia #thalassemia #anemia