β-Thalassemia Minor Associated with Pregnancy Complications

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends screening for β-thalassemia in couples of Mediterranean ancestry. In β-thalassemia major, β-globin production is impaired, leading to ineffective erythropoiesis and severe hemolysis; with transfusions and iron chelation therapies, pregnancy outcomes among women with this disorder have improved. Far less attention has been paid to β-thalassemia minor, the heterozygous state. These authors examined pregnancy outcomes among women with β-thalassemia minor at a university medical center in southern Israel over a 15-year period.

Of 159,195 deliveries, 261 occurred in women with β-thalassemia minor. The β-thalassemia-minor population consisted of significantly more Jewish women than…