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Birth of children with severe β‐thalassemia at a tertiary obstetric hospital: what are the reasons behind it?
Author(s) -
Yang Yu,
Li DongZhi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.4189
Subject(s) - medicine , thalassemia , pregnancy , prenatal diagnosis , tertiary care , obstetrics , pediatrics , gestation , mainland china , prenatal care , fetus , family medicine , population , china , environmental health , genetics , political science , law , biology
Objective To find reasons for the births of severe β‐thalassemia at a tertiary obstetric hospital in mainland China. Methods All cases with confirmed diagnosis of β‐thalassemia major were included from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011. The main clinical characteristics of the affected pregnancies were reviewed, including maternal reproductive history, prenatal care in the current pregnancy, the gestation of pregnancy at the time of booking, and availability of husbands for a screen test. Results A total of nine cases of β‐thalassemia major were identified at birth during the study period. The reasons for no prenatal diagnosis included unavailability of the father for a test in four cases, unacceptability of the invasive procedure in two cases, absence of prenatal care in two cases, and nonpaternity in one case. Conclusion The effectiveness in control of the disease is not only associated with the model itself but also the factors playing against the model. The identification of the main reasons for the birth of severe thalassemia might help to find room for improvement in clinical practice. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.