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Pregnancy outcomes in women affected by fetal alpha-thalassemia: a case control study
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  • Jiangheng Li,
  • Jingli Yan,
  • Yongquan Huang,
  • Jinlu Wei,
  • Bingyan Xie,
  • Wu Jiang,
  • Maoling Zhu
Jiangheng Li
Affiliated Nanning Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Medical University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jingli Yan
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Yongquan Huang
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Bingyan Xie
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Wu Jiang
Affiliated Nanning Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
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Maoling Zhu
Affiliated Nanning Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the associations between fetal α-thalassemia and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Design: Case control study. Setting: Forty-two hospitals in Nanning, China. Participants: Pregnant women >20 weeks of gestation. Methods: Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore associations between fetal α-thalassemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to assess the use of selected factors in predicting low Apgar scores. Main Outcome and Measure: Pregnancy outcomes of thalassemic women whose fetuses had non-thalassemia, α-thalassemia trait or HbH disease. Results: With thalassemic women whose fetuses were normal as the reference, fetuses in the HbH disease group showed a higher increase in the odds of Apgar scores being <7 at 1 minute (4.74% vs 1.57%) and 5 minutes (2.84% vs 0.67%). With non-thalassemic women as the reference, this trend was more obvious; whereas the normal fetal group was more likely to be diagnosed with postpartum hemorrhage. Combining fetal HbH disease and gestational age reflected medium accuracy in Apgar predictions. Conclusions: Fetal HbH disease was associated with a higher risk of low Apgar scores. Thalassemic women with normal fetuses may also have an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, and should be monitored accordingly. Funding: The Key Research and Development Programs of Nanning, China (No. 20183038 and No. 20193097). Keywords: Fetal alpha-thalassemia; Low Apgar scores; Postpartum hemorrhage. Tweetable abstract: This study shows that fetal HbH disease may increase the risk of low Apgar scores, and that thalassemic women with normal fetuses are prone to postpartum hemorrhage.
Dec 2021Published in Scientific Reports volume 11 issue 1. 10.1038/s41598-021-95998-1