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William Aird: Thalassemia Trait is a Quiet Experiment of Nature
Oct 10, 2025, 12:14

William Aird: Thalassemia Trait is a Quiet Experiment of Nature

William Aird, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, posted on X:

”Thalassemia trait is a quiet experiment of nature.

The bone marrow turns up red cell production to compensate for small RBC size and maintain an optimal Hb and Hct.

… many small RBCs instead of fewer large ones.

An elegant solution, but not a free one.

The trade-offs:

  • ↑ Marrow workload
  • ↑ Iron turnover (faster erythroid flux)
  • ↑ Splenic and macrophage processing
  • ↑ Membrane maintenance
  • ↑ Oxidative stress

We rarely think about these costs, because they are mostly invisible in daily life.”

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