THALASSEMIA

[thal.as.se.mia] n [NL, fr. Gk thalassa sea + NL -emia] (1932): any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis affecting the globin chain that are characterized usu. by mild to severe hemolytic anemia, are caused by a series of allelic genes, and tend to occur esp. in individuals of Mediterranean, black, or southeast Asian ancestry; esp: cooley's anemia -- thal.as.se.mic adj or n