Exposure to Hydroxyurea During Pregnancy in Sickle- Thalassemia: A Report of 2 Cases

¹ National Institute of Immunohaematology
² KEM Hospital

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: colahrb{at}gmail.com.

	Abstract

Hydroxyurea, used in the treatment of sickle cell anemia, is a teratogenic drug. However, the potential benefits of the drug far outweigh its risks when the fetus of the patient on hydroxyurea therapy gets exposed to the drug in an unplanned pregnancy. The authors present 2 clinically severe cases of patients with sickle- thalas semia who became pregnant while on hydroxyurea therapy and delivered healthy babies. Hydroxyurea was stopped after the confirmation of the pregnancy and was restarted after the termination of breastfeeding. Seven cases of fetal exposure to hydroxyurea have been reported among sickle cell anemia patients. More such data are required to confirm the effect of hydroxyurea exposure on the fetus. A planned pregnancy is advised for patients on hydroxyurea therapy. However, exposure to the drug during early pregnancy requires regular monitoring of such patients by ultrasonography and clinical examination.
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