Study warns of pregnancy risks in women with Sickle Cell

STAFF REPORTER

MUSCAT, DEC 14

A new Omani study funded by the Block Funding Programme of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation has highlighted significant maternal and neonatal health risks faced by pregnant women living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

Led by Salwa al Harthy, Senior Staff Nurse (A) – Midwifery at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, the research provides important insights into pregnancy-related complications associated with SCD and underscores the need for enhanced clinical care and closer monitoring of this high-risk group.

Titled 'Adverse Pregnancy, Fetal and Neonatal Outcomes in Women with Sickle Cell Disease: A Retrospective Case-Control Study', the research compared outcomes in 171 pregnancies among women with SCD with 171 pregnancies in women without the condition.

Medical records from January 2015 to August 2021 in Muscat were analysed, focusing on complications such as preterm labour, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, severe anaemia, fetal distress, low APGAR scores, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight and neonatal intensive care admission.

The findings revealed significantly higher risks among women with SCD, particularly those with severe anaemia, who showed markedly increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Mothers with SCD were more likely to deliver infants with intrauterine growth restriction and low birth weight, while their babies were nearly four times more likely to require admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Low haemoglobin levels, previous medical or surgical history, and preterm delivery were identified as strong predictors of complications affecting both mothers and newborns.

Despite these risks, the study noted that fetal mortality in Oman remains relatively low, reflecting improvements in antenatal care and advances in clinical management in recent years.

Al Harthy stressed the importance of a multidisciplinary approach involving obstetricians, haematologists, neonatologists and midwives to improve outcomes for pregnant women with SCD. She also called for further research to identify additional predictors of adverse outcomes, explore possible links between SCD and congenital anomalies, and determine the optimal timing of delivery for women with SCD in Oman.

The study was published in the Women’s Health journal and was conducted by a research team comprising Salwa al Harthy, Dr Judie Arulappan and Dr Basma al Yazeedi.