title: Consequences of Delayed Prenatal Diagnosis of β-Thalassemia in Mainland China.
abstract: β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is one of the most common inherited single gene disorders in the world. The aim of this study was to describe the gestational age at prenatal diagnosis (PND) for β-thal in at-risk women in mainland China. All pregnant women at-risk for β-thal and undergoing PND at a Mainland Chinese tertiary obstetric center between January 2005 and December 2014 were included. Information required for the survey was obtained from prenatal records and delivery charts. In total, 1307 women underwent PND for β-thal. The mean gestational age for the procedure was 18.5 weeks. There were 384 (29.0%) women with fetal diagnosis in early trimester (<14 weeks), 715 (55.0%) in early second trimester (14-24 weeks), and 208 (16.0%) in late second trimester or beyond (>24 weeks). Although the proportion of patients undergoing early PND increased along with the time span, the mean n gestational age was not decreased significantly during the study period. The delay in PND deprived couples of the opportunity to make informed decisions early in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jin-Mei
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xing-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University , Guangzhou, Guangdong , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dong-Zhi
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Mainland China; gestational age; prenatal diagnosis (PND); β-Thalassemia (β-thal)