The pregnancy outcome in patients with minor β-thalassemia

• Main Authors: Evar Mohammed Saeed Ismael, Maida Yousif Shamdeen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Medical Journal of Babylon
• Subjects: Followed up study; minor β-thalassemia; pregnancy outcome
• Online Access: http://www.medjbabylon.org/article.asp?issn=1812-156X;year=2019;volume=16;issue=3;spage=229;epage=233;aulast=Ismael

Background: Physiologic alterations during pregnancy worsen the anemia severity, and they are associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, and preterm birth. Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine pregnancy outcomes in women with minor β-thalassemia. Materials and Methods: A total of fifty women who attended the consultation clinic of Azadi Teaching Hospital for antenatal care visit were screened consecutively and included in the present cross-sectional study in Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan. The patients were followed up until delivery for pregnancy outcomes from May 20, 2018 to February 10, 2019. Results: About 14.0% of the patients had a history of baby death. The most prevalent clinical features were anemia (18.0%) and a history of preeclampsia (16.0%). Most of the patients had undergone a trial of normal vaginal delivery (80.0%), and 14.3% of their newborns were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Only one of newborns died at 5 min following delivery due to a low Apgar score. The study showed that neonates who were admitted to the NICU had lower Apgar scores after 1 and 5 min compared to nonadmitted group (5.71 and 6.71 vs. 7.24 and 9.29, respectively). The mothers of the neonates who were admitted to the NICU had a higher prevalence of previous dead baby (42.9%; P = 0.031), previous history of preeclampsia (57.1%; P = 0.005), and more likely to undergone cesarean section (C/S) (71.4%; P = 0.001). Conclusions: The present investigation suggests that the β-thalassemia newborn admitted to the NICU had a higher prevalence of clinical issues compared to those not admitted to the NICU.