[Sickle cell disease and pregnancy]

Abstract

Pregnancy in SCD women, with a major sickle cell syndrome, is a high-risk situation and is associated with raised incidence of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, mainly in late pregnancy, during delivery and in the postpartal periods. Pregnancy increases the incidence of sickle cell specific complications such as anaemia, vaso-occlusive crisis, abdominal, pulmonary (acute chest syndrome) or placental thrombosis, infections (urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, pneumonia), and toxemia. Maternal death can occur. Sickle cell disease is responsible for high risk of spontaneous abortion, intra-uterine growth retardation, intra-uterine fetal death, preterm delivery, and perinatal mortality related to hypoxemia and placental thrombosis. More and more sickle cell affected women reach adulthood and reproductive age (fertility of sickle cell women is normal). The knowledge of these risks has contributed to the implementation of specific management program and to a better outcome of pregnancy. Such a program includes a close multidisciplinary approach for the duration of the pregnancy, the delivery and the postpartal period, in tertiary maternal health services level. Blood transfusion depends on teams and is related to strictly restricted maternal, obstetrical and hematologic indications.