This booklet aims to help you understand beta thalassemia (BT) so you can talk to your medical team about your condition and its treatment. BT is a blood condition youre born with. It affects your red blood cells. BT is a disease caused by changes (mutations) in genes that are passed on from parent to child. You have BT when you inherit a gene change from both of your parents. There are two types of BT disease - BT major and BT intermedia. A person can also be a healthy carrier of BT without having the disease. This is called BT trait (or BT minor). Treatment depends on the type of BT disease you have. People with BT major will require regular blood transfusions throughout their life. New treatments for BT have recently been approved or are being tested in clinical trials around the world, with promising results.