Aplastic anemia in pregnancy

  Aplastic anemia (or reblastosis) was discovered by Ehrlich as early as 1888, but its pathogenesis remains elusive to date. The main clinical manifestation is a decrease in the number of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and a qualitative defect leading to a decrease in the number of whole blood cells. The causes may be related to chemicals, drugs, infections, radiation, leukemia and genetic disorders. Treatment options include anti-thymocyte globulin, cyclosporine immunosuppressive therapies and bone marrow transplantation.  The relationship between pregnancy and remittent disease is currently controversial. It is widely believed that reoccurrence can make pregnancy complications complex and severe, with the main effects on the pregnant woman being hemorrhage and sepsis; the main effects on the fetus are fetal growth restriction and, in severe cases, intrauterine fetal death. Hemorrhage and sepsis account for 90% of maternal deaths. Most fetal complications occur mainly due to maternal anemia.  In addition, maternal anemia can increase the incidence of chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery. Previous literature has reported for fetal thrombocytopenia and severe amniotic fluid hypohydramnios. Similarly, Rathore et al. of the Indian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported two cases of combined reentry in pregnancy, which were published in the Indian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  Case 1 Primigravida, 27 years old, 28 weeks of gestation, hemoglobin 5.6 g/L, regular obstetric examination, 2 units of simple red blood cell (PC) transfusion, no history of surgery and normal prenatal examination. At 30 weeks of gestation, petechiae appeared on skin mucosa, gum bleeding, nasal bleeding, hematocrit analysis suggested hemoglobin 7.3 mg/dL, leukocytes 4.0×109/L, platelets 3.8×109/L, reticulocytes accounted for 0.2%, bone marrow aspiration biopsy suggested aplastic anemia. Cyclosporine was given orally at 5 mg/kg per day (total dose of 300 mg) for 7 days and then the dose was abandoned. She was readmitted at 32 weeks of gestation due to nasal bleeding and purpuric rash on the skin, and her blood count indicated hemoglobin of 8 mg/dL and platelets of 1×109/L. She was immediately given platelet concentrate (PRC) 2 units infusion. At this time, she also had severe preeclampsia and was treated with oral methyldopa 500 mg daily to lower blood pressure and intramuscular dexamethasone to promote fetal lung maturation. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) was detected by ultrasound at 33 weeks of gestation, and the fetal umbilical artery lacked end-diastolic flow signal.  Eventually, the pregnant woman was delivered by elective cesarean section at 33+5 weeks of gestation by a multidisciplinary team of obstetricians and gynecologists, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and hematologists, with an indication of IUGR and poor fetal response. The newborn female infant weighed 1300 g. Apgar score was 9 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes. Preoperative hemoglobin 8.4 g/L was transfused with PRC 6 units, and intraoperative PRC 6 units, PC 1 unit, and coagulation factor VII 1 unit were transfused again. The operation went well, and the patient’s general condition was good intraoperatively. Postoperatively, he was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he was given PRC 4 units again and platelets alone 1 unit. The patient was given cefotaxime and gentamicin for anti-inflammatory treatment, and was switched to imipenem and teicoplanin after the disease progressed with mild toxemia. During the hospitalization, the patient received a total of 52 units of PRC and 9 units of PC. Some definitive treatments such as allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and anti-thymocyte globulin immunosuppressive therapy could have been implemented, but the patient was unwilling to undergo these treatments for financial reasons. The patient was discharged after 55 days of hospitalization and the neonate was transferred to level 2 intensive care ICU care for 22 days after birth and weighed 1780 g. The neonate was in good condition and was given discharge.  Case 2 A primigravida, 26 years old, 10 weeks pregnant, was admitted to the hospital with severe pregnancy vomiting and a small amount of vaginal bleeding. Blood count indicated complete hematocrit, hemoglobin 8.4 mg/dL, leukocytes 1.8×109/L, platelet count 6×109/L, reticulocytes 0.65%, and normal liver and renal function tests. Because of the suspicion of remittent disease, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were performed to suggest hypoproliferative bone marrow, which supported the diagnosis of remittent disease. According to the history, the patient was seen outside the hospital at 8 weeks of gestation for skin and mucous membrane petechiae and malaise. Routine blood tests suggested hemoglobin 7.2 g/L, leukocytes 2.6×109/L and platelets 25×109/L. PC 2 units and PRC 4 units infusion had been given.  Physical examination revealed a mild anemic appearance in addition to ultrasound suggesting a normal fetus with size consistent with gestational weeks. Although the pregnant woman was at risk for recanalization, she and her family chose to continue the pregnancy. Therefore, she was positioned as a high-risk pregnancy and was followed up by a joint consultation with an obstetrician-gynecologist and a hematologist.  Prior to delivery, the patient received a PC 5 units and a platelet-only 1 unit transfusion. The patient was admitted to the hospital at 38+4 weeks of gestation due to premature rupture of membranes, and contractions were enhanced with indocin, resulting in a normal delivery of a female baby weighing 2980 g. Postpartum hemorrhage of 1 L (total delayed and traumatic hemorrhage) was promptly facilitated by uterine contractions, and a second-degree perineal laceration was routinely sutured and vaginal tamponade was administered. Two units of PC and two units of platelet alone were given at delivery, and one unit of PC was given again after delivery. The patient was discharged on the 8th postpartum day with a blood count of 8.9 g/L hemoglobin and 73×109/L platelets. The patient was followed up for 6 months, during which time the patient was doing well.  The literature suggests that the incidence of preterm delivery is 12.1%, intrauterine death is 16.7%, stillbirth is 15.1%, and spontaneous abortion is 16.7%. Postpartum hemorrhage or post-abortion hemorrhage is another serious risk factor, and postpartum hemorrhage is serious in patients with retrolisthesis because it can lead to thrombocytopenia.  As far as the mode of delivery is concerned, vaginal delivery is advocated in patients with retrolisthesis who are already pregnant and have no contraindications to vaginal delivery, and cesarean delivery is performed only when indicated. One of the above two patients had elective cesarean delivery mainly because of severe preeclampsia combined with fetal growth restriction and lack of fetal umbilical cord blood flow diastole.  In conclusion, the treatment of retrolisthesis can be pharmacological, supportive, and already recognized therapies (allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, anti-thymocyte globulin, and cyclosporine immunosuppressive therapy). Bone marrow transplantation is the most effective treatment, with a 5-year survival rate of 56%-89%. It must be noted that bone marrow transplantation is contraindicated during pregnancy due to the need for high doses of immunosuppressive drugs or radiation therapy following bone marrow transplantation, which may lead to fetal toxicities.  Although there are reports suggesting the effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy with anti-thymocyte immunoglobulins or cyclosporine during pregnancy, there is no general acceptance of this view. The efficacy of androgens in retrolysis is unknown, and androgen use may lead to fetal masculinization in women. Also the therapeutic efficacy of glucocorticoids or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is not certain. Currently, pharmacologic therapy is not advocated in patients with combined remittent disease of pregnancy, and some earlier reports suggested termination of pregnancy as the best option.  Although some data suggest that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and cyclosporine are of limited effectiveness in patients with combined reoccurrence of pregnancy, they are currently used in patients with severe combined reoccurrence of pregnancy, typically cyclosporine 300 mg/day and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor 450 mg/day. Perhaps the most important treatment for combined retrolithiasis of pregnancy is supportive therapy, which consists of repeated transfusions of red blood cells and platelets to eventually achieve hemoglobin of 10.5 g/L and platelets greater than 20 × 109/L. Combined retrolithiasis of pregnancy is relatively rare and severe, but with appropriate diagnosis and treatment, intrauterine fetal growth retardation, preterm delivery, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, and other pregnancy complications can be In these two cases, despite the fact that the fetus was not in a state of shock, the fetus was not in a state of shock. In these two cases, despite the advanced intensive care given, one maternal death occurred, but both fetuses were built. Therefore, multidisciplinary teamwork, accurate treatment, and better financial support are the basis for the prevention and treatment of combined retrortions of pregnancy.