Status of screening for thalassemia and some related factors among pregnant women visiting the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

This study aims to determine the current status of thalassemia and find out some related factors to the screening of thalassemia in pregnant women visiting the hospital. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional study, including quantitative and qualitative research. A total of 550 women who visited the hospital from April 2020 to March 2021 were screened by full blood count, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and thalassemia mutation test. In-depth interviews with 17 pregnant women to find out their awareness about some related factors to screening of thalassemia. Results: the prevalence of pregnant women screened positive for thalassemia was 12.7%. The α-thalassemia accounted for the largest proportion of 67.1%, the β-thalassemia form accounted for 12.9%. Hemoglobin E and other combinations have also been detected. Risk factors affected screening for thalassemia include ethnicity, obstetric history, and anemia status. Besides, family and socio-cultural factors also affected the decision of pregnant women. Most pregnant women didn't know about thalassemia, so they were very nervous about the health of their fetuses and future births. Conclusion: from the above findings, awareness among pregnant women about thalassemia is still low, they do not pay attention to early screening for thalassemia. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness for pregnant women and their families about thalassemia disease.