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 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.

Postpartum depression in Vietnam: a scoping review of symptoms, consequences, and management

“…This scoping review grouped symptoms reported in the included studies into three commonly found categories: (1) physical symptoms; (2) emotional symptoms; and (3) abnormal behavior changes, as shown in Table 3. Among physical symptoms, poor appetite was reported at a high percent [9,35,39]. Heart palpitations/Breathing difficulty/Nausea/Headaches/Constipation were also mentioned in one qualitative study as possible symptoms [24].…”

“…In terms of emotional symptoms reported with a wide range of prevalence in quantitative research, those most frequently mentioned were worries, anxiety, and stress. "Feeling nervous" was pointed out in three studies at various rates [7,9,27], while "sadness" was also a prominently featured concerned feeling [27,36,39]. Moreover, feelings of isolation included "I am abusing my child", "do not have time to interact with the child in a relaxed mood" [7,39], the thought "they are useless and do not want to become a burden for others" [30] or even "being homesick" [32].…”

“…"Feeling nervous" was pointed out in three studies at various rates [7,9,27], while "sadness" was also a prominently featured concerned feeling [27,36,39]. Moreover, feelings of isolation included "I am abusing my child", "do not have time to interact with the child in a relaxed mood" [7,39], the thought "they are useless and do not want to become a burden for others" [30] or even "being homesick" [32]. From another perspective, mothers who lack care from others may have feelings of "being ignored; being denied support, and being exposed to controlling behaviors" [26,39] or of "living under pressure with the psychic force of household tensions or the weight of kinship conflicts" [25].…”

“…Moreover, feelings of isolation included "I am abusing my child", "do not have time to interact with the child in a relaxed mood" [7,39], the thought "they are useless and do not want to become a burden for others" [30] or even "being homesick" [32]. From another perspective, mothers who lack care from others may have feelings of "being ignored; being denied support, and being exposed to controlling behaviors" [26,39] or of "living under pressure with the psychic force of household tensions or the weight of kinship conflicts" [25]. A significant number of mothers had more severe symptoms in which 37.9% of them "had suicidal thoughts" [8,36,39].…”

“…From another perspective, mothers who lack care from others may have feelings of "being ignored; being denied support, and being exposed to controlling behaviors" [26,39] or of "living under pressure with the psychic force of household tensions or the weight of kinship conflicts" [25]. A significant number of mothers had more severe symptoms in which 37.9% of them "had suicidal thoughts" [8,36,39].…”