Sickle cell disease and pregnancy in Bahrain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the morbidity and outcome of pregnancies complicated by homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD) in Bahrain.
METHODS: A controlled study was conducted of all the pregnancies of women with SCD who were delivered at Salmaniya Medical Complex and affiliate hospitals in Bahrain between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2002.
RESULTS: There were 351 pregnancies with SCD, giving an incidence of 0.67%. The mean+/-S.D. age of women with SCD was 28.8+/-5.7 years. These women, who were mostly from Shia villages, had more spontaneous abortions than the 351 controls (32% and 12%, respectively). Compared with the control group, the mean+/-S.D. number of pregnancies among women with SCD was 5.0+/-1.9 vs. 5.7+/-3.1; birth weight, 2,965+/-540 g vs. 3,457+/-497 g; rate of preterm deliveries, 25.9% vs. 12%; incidence of intrauterine growth restriction, 10% to 13% vs. 4% to 7%; Apgar scores at 1 and 10 min, 8.1+/-0.8 and 8.8+/-0.8; and cesarean section rate, 19.0% vs. 12.7%. There were no differences in the rates of pre-eclampsia, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, or stillbirth. There were 4 maternal deaths directly related to SCD complications. Hemoglobin analysis was performed in 86% of the women with SCD. Of these women, 60.6% had homozygous SCD with raised levels of fetal hemoglobin (more than 5% HbF); 9.6% had sickle cell hemoglobin with beta-thalassemia disease; and 1.4% had sickle cell hemoglobin only. Vaso-occlusive crises were the most common cause of hospital admissions during pregnancy (42.2%), while hemolytic and sequestration crises accounted for 28.0% and 0.6% of admissions.
CONCLUSION: Mortality, morbidity, and perinatal loss are still considerable among women with SCD in Bahrain. To reduce mortality and morbidity, there is a need for a multidisciplinary team able to deal with pregnancy complications due to SCD.