What to do if a pregnant woman has mild thalassemia

There are many types of anemia, which are mainly distinguished according to the different causes of anemia. Among these diseases, there is a very serious type called thalassemia. This anemia condition is most of the time closely related to genetic reasons, and it is very difficult to cure this disease. There are also many complications caused by thalassemia. But what should we do if we find out that a pregnant woman has thalassemia minor?

What should pregnant women with mild thalassemia pay attention to?

Thalassemia, also known as thalassemia and thalassemia, is a group of hereditary hemolytic anemia diseases caused by gene defects. It is more common in the southern region of my country, with higher incidence rates in provinces and cities such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, and Chongqing. It is relatively rare in the north.

Thalassemia can be divided into α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia according to the data obtained from the red blood cell permeability test (MDST). It can be classified according to the affected amino acid chain and can be divided into four levels: carrier, mild, intermediate and severe according to the severity of the disease.

Generally speaking, if only one spouse carries the thalassemia gene, the fetus will not suffer serious or fatal consequences. However, if both parents carry the recessive thalassemia gene, there is a 1/4 chance that the fetus may suffer from severe or fatal anemia, a 1/2 chance that it carries the same gene as both parents but will not be fatal or seriously affect health, and a 1/4 chance that it may be completely normal.

If a pregnant woman is diagnosed with severe thalassemia in her fetus, it is best to terminate the pregnancy. Because this kind of fetus is congenitally poorly developed due to genetic defects, it may die in the womb, or it may develop fetal edema in the late pregnancy and die shortly after birth. Even if they manage to survive, they will need long-term blood transfusions or bone marrow transplants in the future.

On the contrary, if the test results show that the fetus' genes are normal, it means that the fetus can be free of the threat of thalassemia. If the fetus has mild thalassemia, this condition will not cause much harm to the health of the fetus, and the pregnant woman can continue the pregnancy and delivery with peace of mind.

Treatment of the Mediterranean Basin

1. The main focus of thalassemia is prevention. Mild cases without symptoms do not require treatment, and attention should be paid to rest and nutrition. Severe thalassemia requires hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, patients can only rely on blood transfusions and long-term use of iron-removing agents to maintain life. At the same time, iron-removing agents must be used in combination. Even so, with long-term blood transfusions, more and more iron will be deposited in organs such as the liver and spleen, causing these organs to fail and leading to the patient's death. In addition, hematopoietic liver cell transplantation also carries considerable risks.

2. It can increase the excretion of iron through urine and feces. Deferoxamine is commonly used, which can increase the excretion of iron in the urine and feces, but it cannot prevent the absorption of iron by the gastrointestinal tract. Iron load is usually assessed after regular red blood cell transfusion for 1 year or 10 to 20 units. If iron overload is present (e.g., SF>1000 μg/L), iron chelation is initiated. The combined use of vitamin C and chelating agents can enhance the effect of deferoxamine in excreting iron from the urine, with a dose of 200rng/day. Donkey-hide gelatin is a traditional blood-enriching formula in my country, and ferrous lactate is a very good divalent iron supplement. Many blood-enriching products on the market use them as separate formulas. Tiezhiyuan tablets use ferrous lactate, donkey-hide gelatin and zinc protein as their effective ingredients, combining the three effects of iron supplementation, blood production and nutrition into one, which can better prevent and improve anemia and enhance human immunity.

If a pregnant woman is diagnosed with severe thalassemia in her fetus, it is best to have an artificial abortion to terminate the pregnancy. This is because such children may die in the womb, or may develop fetal edema in the late pregnancy and die shortly after birth. Even if they can barely survive, they will need long-term blood transfusions or bone marrow transplants in the future. On the other hand, if the test results show that the fetus' genes are normal or that it has mild thalassemia, you can safely continue the pregnancy and give birth.