What condition is characterized by hemoglobin deficiency and short-lived RBCs due to a defective gene?

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that results in the body producing an abnormal form or inadequate amount of hemoglobin. This leads to hemoglobin deficiency, as the altered or reduced hemoglobin disrupts the normal function of red blood cells (RBCs). Furthermore, the abnormal hemoglobin affects the life span of RBCs, causing them to be fragile and shorter-lived compared to healthy red blood cells.

Individuals with thalassemia often experience anemia, characterized by fatigue, weakness, and other related symptoms due to decreased oxygen transport in the body. The disorder is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, meaning both parents must pass on the defective gene for a child to be affected.

Other options pertain to different conditions: pernicious anemia is related to vitamin B12 deficiency, leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming tissues that affects white blood cells rather than red blood cells, and iron deficiency anemia is caused by a lack of iron resulting in a reduced number of red blood cells but does not have an underlying genetic defect like thalassemia does. Each of these conditions has its own causes and implications, distinguishing them from the characteristics of thalassemia.