Does sickle cell disease inhibit pregnancy?
Have you ever wondered
what would occur in a woman that contains sickle cell disease if she were to
get pregnant? Well, the chances of survival with the disease in pregnant women
have changed dramatically with time and technology. Now the expectancy of women
that contain this disease is 42 years and 38 years in men. For those that are
unaware Sickle Cell Disease is a disease that occurs in the blood cell of an
individual. It is hereditary and more often than not women contain this disease
more than men. The red blood cells in our body that carry oxygen throughout
different parts of the body become mis-shaped and broken down, this shape can
cause blood clots and other serious symptoms. If a woman that contains sickle
cell disease becomes pregnant the severity of the symptoms of the disease increases.
Pregnancy in a healthy woman that does not contain this disease is risky on it’s
because of the stress that the fetus puts on the body of the mother. However, pregnancy
in a woman that does contain the sickle cell disease has increasing painful
crises, infections, Thromboembolism events and antepartum bleeding.
Thromboembolism events is the formation in a blood vessel of a clot that breaks
loose and is carried by the blood stream to plug another vessel. This alone can
be very dangerous for not only the mother for the developing fetus as well
because of the lack of blood transferring to the mother and the fetus. However,
the severity of the disease varies from patient to patient. One of the major
factors that control this clinical expression is the genotype SCD: patients
with HbSS disease have the most severe forms, while patients with HbSC disease
usually experience fewer complications. HbSS disease is when an individual
inherits two S genes also known as sickle cell genes in which they get one gene
from each parent. HbSS is known as sickle cell anemia and is more severe due to
the expression of two S genes. HbSC is a disease in which present is one S gene
and one C gene, the C gives rise to hemoglobin. And hemoglobin is an actual
protein that allows for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
It was shown that women
with HbSS disease are more likely to have a higher range of maternal death with
increased risk for preeclampsia, stillbirths, preterm deliveries and smaller
infants. Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs during throughout the
pregnancy stage in which the blood pressure in the mother is higher than
normal, the mother experiences more sweeping in her feet and hands along with
having more protein in her urine than normal. More protein in the urine can
give rise to other problems for not only the mother but for the fetus as well. While in women that contain the HbSC disease
have a less chance of experiencing the complications that women with the HbSS
disease go through. Prevention should focus on improving the early detection
and treatment of complications of SCD during pregnancy and postpartum. Further
research is needed on HbSS and HbSC disease in order to give women that want to
have children have the proper information pertaining the cautions and
complications of becoming pregnant; and giving them options as in ways to have
the healthiest pregnancy possible. It is important to continue to study this
disease not only for the benefit of women and give them opportunities to bare
children but for both men as well. The ways in which the sickle cell disease drastically
impacts lives, makes it difficult for both women and men to have a full life
expectancy, individuals with the disease are less likely to have full lives.
With the further advancement in technology and science the knowledge about
Sickle Cell Disease should hopefully increase and the life expectancy of those
that contain the disease should increase instead of decreasing.
Photo Reference: thescak.org
The placenta is a unique vascular organ that receives blood supplies from both the maternal and the fetal systems and thus has two separate circulatory systems for blood. The mother's blood is not actually coming in to contact with the blood of the child, but if the mother's blood cannot carry oxygen and nutrients efficiently or is prone to blockages, as with sickle cell anemia, the fetus would certainly suffer from this. I wonder, if the fetus was HbSS and had sickle cell anemia, how soon could affects of the disease be detrimental? Would the sickle cell anemia (of the fetus) be able to affect the fetus in the womb?
ReplyDeleteHello Natalie,
DeleteYou brought up a very good point, I am unsure of how soon the effects of the disease would be become apparent in the fetus and become detrimental. I can only imagine that the sickle cell anemia of the fetus would effect the fetus in a negative way, altering its development. Perhaps the development of the fetus would occur at a much slower rate than normal, I am unsure.
It never occurred to me that when still die during childbirth. What specifically causes sick cell anemia? What is the likelihood that this disease will be genetically passed on to the baby? Does sickle cell anemia cause blood clots and not deliver oxygen properly through red blood cells? Were any animals used in this experiment? Are there any treatments available for this disease, or at least a way to ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery? This is an important topic of research considering that this disease affects approximately 90,000 to 100,000 Americans annually. Not only would more research done in this field help people already suffering from sickle cell anemia, but also understand more about what causes this disease so as to help prevent it.
ReplyDeleteHello Kathleen,
DeleteThere are a variety of factors that cause sickle cell anemia. However, the biggest factor is the role of genetics, to my knowledge. If the parents of an individual has sickle cell anemia there is a very high chance that they will get sickle cell anemia. For this experiment no animals were used. And as of right now to my knowledge there is no way of actually ensuring a 100% safe pregnancy and delivery for the mother and the fetus. Hopefully in the future there will be a way that can ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery for women who suffer from this disease.
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ReplyDeleteI've never thought about the problems that may arise with a pregnant woman who has sickle-cell anemia. I was not aware that the severity of sickle-cell could increase with pregnancy. Not only can it affect the mother but the fetus too! Would the symptoms of sickle-cell for the mother become more severe early on in pregnancy? Or does it take a more developed pregnancy to increase the severity of the symptoms? It's scary that preeclampsia, still births and death of the mother can happen with this disease. Is the exact cause of sickle-cell known and understood? Sickle-cell can really affects the lives of many and more research is essential. Like with all potentially fatal diseases without a cure, I hope better treatments to extend life and eventually a cure will be discovered.
ReplyDeleteHello Hannah,
DeleteI also found it interesting that the severity of sickle cell anemia increases with pregnancy for a woman, it is something that I never really gave thought about until reading this article and other articles relating to this topic. From this article, I think it is safe to conclude that the symptoms of the disease increases with pregnancy because now the body has to support not only the mother, but the development of the fetus as well. Sickle cell anemia is a very big concern for not only people in general, but for women that want to have children because of the extra stress that pregnancy causes for the mother. I am also hopeful that treatments will come soon to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery for the mother and fetus!
I had never thought about the potential complications sickle-cell could result in if a woman with the disease were to become pregnant. I never would have thought that the severity of the disease would actually increase with pregnancy, though issues with the odd-shaped cells moving through the vasculation involved with the placenta makes perfect sense now that I think about it. If a woman with sickle-cell becomes pregnant is there any treatment that can be undergone so that the effects are not as severe? How much more likely is it for a woman with sickle-cell to develop complications?
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this all i could think about is how horrible that sounds. Pregnancy alone is a huge change for a woman let alone add sickle cell to it. I wonder if anyone has figured out a way to change the gene expression in those that were HbSS so that they are not sickle cell anemic and could have less hardships like those that are HbSC. If that were looked into it would make pregnancy safer for those who still want to have children but express HbSS
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that such complications in pregnancy could be so horrifying for women with sickle-cell disease. I had not come across any articles in the recent past that suggested that the severity of a particular disease could increase with the presence of a pregnancy. I found this to be a very interesting article because of the limited research we have for individuals that express these symptoms, during pregnancy. The peculiar cell shape of the red blood cells has to play a role in this variation and increased severity of the disease. Sickle-cell disease was always interesting for me because of some of the benefits it has along with the many dangers associated with it. An example includes the resistance individuals with sickle-cell disease develop if ever exposed to malaria. I wonder if new pharmaceutical treatments will be able to repress the complications that women face, if pregnant, and already possess sickle cell disease. These potential treatments will be vital to keep an eye on for future patients with similar situations as it could be the difference in life and death.
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ReplyDeleteAn interesting side note for HbSC is that it can actually increase malaria resistance, as they are a "carrier" (heterozygous) for the condition. While not prevalent in the U.S., malaria is an major cause of death in some areas of the world, making resistance to it valuable. Since HbSC does not complicate pregnancies as much, it may actually be advantageous to the infant as they may acquire the carrier status and not be affected by malaria. This may also indicate why this harmful gene persists in the population, as it can actually help individuals instead of harming them if they do not receive 2 copies of the sickle cell allele.
ReplyDeleteHello Tyler,
DeleteI never even thought about the relationship between malaria and HbSC in great detail before. Perhaps since HbSC is not as severe is why it persists and remains as a major problem. Thank you for sharing that insight with me.
I had no idea sickle-cell disease was so dangerous in pregnancy. I typically do not hear about any extreme dangers for people with this disease (although they have a decreased life expectancy) and there are even some positives such as malaria as mentioned above. I have heard of other common complications for people with sickle-cell disease, but never thought of the increased risk they would have while pregnant. Hopefully, further research will be done in this area, allowing new forms of treatment that can allow pregnancy to be safer in people with this condition.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic! It is amazing how important structure is to function. The shape of a sickle cell makes the cells less flexible so that they stick to vessel walls causing blood clots. This inhibits oxygen from reaching tissues. It makes sense that the life expectancy for men and women would be less because their tissue are not getting the oxygen that they need. With pregnancy, if the mother who has sickle sell anemia gives birth, will the infant have a high risk of hypoxia do to the lack of oxygen from the mother?
ReplyDeleteHello Grace,
DeleteI am glad that you found my article interesting, I think it is interesting also and is important to make people more aware of this major topic. I would think that if the mother does suffer from sickle cell anemia that the infant will have a risk of hypoxia because they are totally dependent upon the mother.
This is an interesting topic! It is amazing how important structure is to function. The shape of a sickle cell makes the cells less flexible so that they stick to vessel walls causing blood clots. This inhibits oxygen from reaching tissues. It makes sense that the life expectancy for men and women would be less because their tissue are not getting the oxygen that they need. With pregnancy, if the mother who has sickle sell anemia gives birth, will the infant have a high risk of hypoxia do to the lack of oxygen from the mother?
ReplyDeleteBefore this post I had never thought about sickle cell disease in relation to pregnancy. It make sense after reading about it. Even though the blood of the mother and baby never actually come in contact, I can see why the inability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen and nutrients in the maternal blood may be detrimental. About 40 years ago, the life expectancy of someone with SCD in the United States was just 14 years old. Since it is a genetic disease, you would think that it would eventually get selected out of the population. Perhaps the reason it is still prevalent is because the heterozygous form is advantageous when it comes to malaria resistance. Today, the life expectancy of people with sickle cell disease is about 40-60 years due to advances in diagnosis and care capabilities. Hopefully further research will lead to better conditions for both the mother and baby during pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI did not know much about Sickle Cell disease before reading this blog post. I had no idea that people who suffer with this disease have such a short life expectancy. I am glad that research is being done to hopefully improve the life expectancy for those who have this disease. I am glad that I learned more about pregnant mothers with sickle cell to be informed. I would have never thought that all of these complications would come with having sickle cell disease and it is very sad that this medical problem causes early death and difficulty in having a healthy child. I wonder what research is being done to help mothers who have this disease and are proactive about getting help and taking proper precautions during pregnancy and after birth. What would women and men be able to do to decrease their complications with blood clots and pregnancy?
ReplyDeleteI did not know much about Sickle Cell disease before reading this blog post. I had no idea that people who suffer with this disease have such a short life expectancy. I am glad that research is being done to hopefully improve the life expectancy for those who have this disease. I am glad that I learned more about pregnant mothers with sickle cell to be informed. I would have never thought that all of these complications would come with having sickle cell disease and it is very sad that this medical problem causes early death and difficulty in having a healthy child. I wonder what research is being done to help mothers who have this disease and are proactive about getting help and taking proper precautions during pregnancy and after birth. What would women and men be able to do to decrease their complications with blood clots and pregnancy?
ReplyDeleteI am unsure of how to answer your question, but I can only imagine that if an individual that has sickle cell anemia what they eat and if they exercise can play a role in possibly decreasing their complications with blood clots. Exercising is known to be stress reliever so maybe it can be a blood clot reliever too? I think with eating healthy foods and taking the time out to exercise and taking medications would probably be the best bet for a person that has sickle cell anemia.
DeleteYou were extremely thorough with this disease and its broad range of effects, overall a very informative read! Anyone who has taken a biology course has probably heard about SCD at one point or another because it is a well-known representation for the powers of genetics. The increased effects of the disease on pregnant women was not particularly surprising to me because as the others have stated it makes sense when you think about it. The mother's blood supply is something that is obviously vital to both the mother and the fetus. I know someone with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS, which is a condition that is due to reduced blood volume. The symptoms of this syndrome are expansive but have been known to unfortunately worsen in pregnant women. In some cases women who never showed any signs of POTS prior to pregnancy even start to develop symptoms once with child. As you stated, the stress of a normal, healthy pregnancy is hard enough on a mother's body but with added medical influences like SCD or POTS the process of bringing new life into the world becomes that much more dangerous.
ReplyDelete