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OBJECTIVES: Pregnancy in women with homozygous beta thalassaemia (HBT) carries a high risk to both the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to investigate pregnancy outcomes among this group at a single tertiary centre. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2012 on all women with HBT who received prenatal care and subsequently delivered at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. Women who delivered elsewhere and women with the beta thalassaemia trait were excluded. RESULTS: Ten women with HBT were studied with a total of 15 pregnancies and 14 live births. The mean maternal age ± standard deviation (SD) was 27.9 ± 3.7 years, with a range of 24-35 years. There were 14 spontaneous pregnancies and one pregnancy following hormone treatment. Eight women had been on chelation therapy before pregnancy, one of whom needed chelation during late pregnancy. Of the pregnancies, 93% had a successful outcome with a mean ± SD gestational age at delivery of 38.6 ± 0.9 weeks, with a range of 37-40 weeks. Eight babies (57%) were delivered by Caesarean section. The mean ± SD birth weight was 2.6 ± 0.2 kg, with a range of 1.9-3.0 kg. Three babies (21%) were born with low birth weights. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy is safe and usually has a favourable outcome in patients with HBT, provided that a multidisciplinary team is available. This is the first study of Omani patients with HBT whose pregnancies have resulted in a successful outcome.
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BACKGROUND: The management of pregnant women with anti-Jsb is challenging due to the paucity of antigen-negative blood for fetal and neonatal transfusion. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old woman with anti-Jsb was referred for assessment of recurrent fetal losses. With the presence of the sister as a historically matched donor, she was planned for active surveillance for fetal anemia during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The fetus remained well until 21 weeks of gestation when signs of fetal anemia and early hydrops fetalis were noted. Anti-Jsb titer was at 128. The sister's red blood cells (RBCs) were cross-match incompatible. Urgent intrauterine transfusion (IUT) was performed with washed irradiated maternal RBCs, donated after cessation of heparin. The mother was given intravenous iron (IV-Fe) and continued on weekly recombinant human erythropoietin (rHu-EPO). RESULTS: Repeated IUTs were needed every 1 to 3 weeks. Throughout a 7-week period, three maternal donations were performed with total donated whole blood volume of 1250 mL, supporting four IUTs. At 29 weeks of gestation, the procedure was complicated by umbilical cord hematoma necessitating urgent cesarean section. A male newborn was delivered, transfused at birth, and subsequently treated with phototherapy and five top-up transfusions. CONCLUSION: This case represents a successful example of managing hemolytic disease of the fetus due to a rare antibody using maternal blood. It also supports previous data on safety of maternal donations during pregnancy and the use of combination of rHu-EPO and IV-Fe as a supportive measure.