Evolutionary adaptation
The thalassemia trait may confer a degree of protection against malaria, which is or was prevalent in the regions where the trait is common, thus conferring a selective survival advantage on carriers (known as heterozygous advantage), thus perpetuating the mutation. In that respect, the various thalassemias resemble another genetic disorder affecting hemoglobin, sickle-cell disease. Incidence
The disorder is more prevalent in certain ethnicities and age groups. Beta thalassemia is most prevalent in the "thalassemia belt" which includes areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean extending into the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This geographical distribution is thought to be due to beta-thalassemia carrier state (beta thalassemia minor) conferring a resistance to malaria. In the United States, thalassemias prevalence is approximately 1 in 272,000 or 1,000 people. There have been 4,000 hospitalized cases in England in 2002 and 9,233 consultant episodes for thalassemia. Men accounted for 53% of hospital consultant episodes and women accounted for 47%. The mean patient age is 23, with only 1% of consultants being older than 75, and 69% being 15–59. It is estimated that 1.5% of the worlds population are carriers and 40,000 affected infants are born with the disease annually. Beta thalassemia major is usually fatal in infancy if blood transfusions are not initiated immediately. See also
Alpha-thalassemia
Anisopoikilocytosis (variance in red blood cell size, usually as a result of beta thalassemia)
Delta-thalassemia
Hemoglobinopathy

References
Further reading
Cao, Antonio; Galanello, Renzo (2010). "Beta-Thalassemia". In Pagon, Roberta A; Bird, Thomas D; Dolan, Cynthia R; Stephens, Karen; Adam, Margaret P (eds.). GeneReviews. University of Washington, Seattle. PMID 20301599.
Surgery is the last option for most cases as the result may not be satisfactory. Etymology
The name is derived from the ancient Greek words kamptos (bent) and daktylos (finger). See also
Clinodactyly

References
External links
 Media related to camptodactyly at Wikimedia Commons
 The dictionary definition of camptodactyly at Wiktionary