The inability to absorb synthetic iron is a symptom of the beta thal. not of 'normal' anemia. Beta thal. is not widely known about so it is most often misdiagnosed as anemia. I was diagnosed anemic when I was an infant, went through 25 years of life and 1 pregnancy in which doctors were shoving iron pills down me and my levels just kept getting lower and lower.

The only way we finally found out that is was something different when I had extensive blood work done and the results came back with oddities my doctor sent me to a hemotologist and I mentioned that my father has the beta thal.

The other hard part in regonizing it is that they have linked this disease to greece, italy, etc and the middle east. I have traced my family some distance back and have found no evidence yet of that link. I also do not have the correct look (light brown hair and super-fair skin-my father is a redhead). My doctor told me we could be talking about someone in the family 5+ hundred years ago which makes it nearly impossible to tell.