title: Pregnancy outcomes amongst thalassemia traits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the pregnancy outcome between pregnancies affected and not affected by thalassemia trait.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case-control cohort study was conducted on singleton pregnant women who attended antenatal care and delivered at Songklanagarind Hospital. All of the participating thalassemia trait pregnant women were diagnosed based on hemoglobin typing and/or DNA analysis. A ratio of around 1-1 was used to compare their pregnancy outcomes with normal pregnant women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven hundred thirty-nine thalassemia trait and 799 normal pregnant women were included in the study. All of the women were Thai nationals living in the Southern Region of Thailand and nearly all of them had spontaneously conceived. Maternal complication rates of gestational diabetes, preterm birth, antepartum bleeding, postpartum bleeding, shoulder dystocia and puerperal morbidity, and the rates of neonatal complications: macrosomia, fetal weight <2,000 g, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), stillbirth, low Apgar score (<7) at 1 and 5 min and NICU admission, were not significantly different between the two groups. The rate of pre-eclampsia, however, was significantly different, with RRs of 1.73 (CI 1.01-3.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thalassemia trait condition did not affect the risk of gestational diabetes, postpartum hemorrhage, stillbirth, preterm birth and puerperal morbidity. However, pre-eclampsia should be warranted especially among nulliparous and high-BMI pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand, htharang@medicine.psu.ac.th.
authors.forename: Tharangrut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanprasertpong
authors.forename: Ounjai
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kor-anantakul
authors.forename: Roengsak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leetanaporn
authors.forename: Thitima
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suntharasaj
authors.forename: Chitkasaem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suwanrath
authors.forename: Ninlapa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pruksanusak
authors.forename: Savitree
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pranpanus
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology; D004420:Dystocia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins