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Your blood results have shown a possible condition called thalassaemia. BUT, it is not confirmed until you get more tests done, such as a genetic test.

Thalassaemia is a condition where your haemoglobins do not form properly due to a defect in either the genes coding for your alpha or beta chains. Your red blood cell contains haemoglobin molecules which helps carry oxygen around your body. The haemoglobin molecule in turn is made up of 2 alpha and 2 beta chains. In a patient with thalassaemia, either the alpha or beta chains are not produced properly, therefore your haemoglobin cannot be produced properly. So your oxygen transport is reduced. Leading to anaemia.

In a nutshell, if you have thalassaemia, you are likely to get anaemia because of disrupted haemoglobin production.

The good news is, what you are suspected to be having is thalassaemia trait, which means it's a milder form of the disease. You'll probably not feel anything unless you overexert yourself by exercising or in conditions where oxygen may be low.

In more severe form, called thalassaemia major, you would have felt the symptoms much earlier and suffers from anemia, etc. But I won't dwell into that now as it's not really relevant to you.

Iron deficiency is a condition where your total iron in the body is low. Iron is also part of the haemoglobin molecule and is involved in oxygen transport as well. Therefore, when you are iron deficient, you have low oxygen in the body --> anaemia.

The terms microcytic and hypochromic is unimportant for you as it makes no difference whether you understand it or not. But anyway:

microcytic --> your red blood cells are smaller than usual
Hypochromic --> your haemoglobin in the red blood cells are lower than usual.
target cells--> your red blood cells look like a target in dart

target cells is a characteristics of thalasaemia (and other diseases).

Lastly, the film simply means the blood slide.

So in conclusion: you have nothing too serious to worry about at this point in time as the thalassaemia trait (minor) is quite benign.

However, you'll have to seek treatment for the anaemia, get another diagnostic test done to confirm the thalassaemia (and to know which thalassaemia you've got) and lastly get genetic counseling as the disease is hereditary.

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