Maternal and perinatal outcomes for women with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in resource-limited settings. A report of two cases at Iringa Regional Referral Hospital, Tanzania

Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in pregnancy poses challenges in management as the pregnancy period increases the chances of SCD complications such as vaso-occlusive crises, anaemia, acute chest syndrome (ACS) and foetal distress following placenta calcifications. The increased demands and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy contribute to the complications associated with managing SCD in pregnant women.
Case presentation: We report two cases of SCD in pregnancy for a 26-year-old primigravida and a 32-year-old multigravida G3P2L2 woman who were admitted to our hospital in the antenatal ward and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to complications from SCD during their pregnancies. Our patients were managed and delivered preterm due to foetal distress and placenta calcification by caesarean section under regional anaesthesia. We managed to have successful maternal and perinatal outcomes.
Conclusion: Despite the challenges of antenatal care, patient monitoring, follow-up and management of complications among pregnant women with SCD in lower-resource setting health facilities, pregnant women with SCD can still be managed with vigilance, close follow-up and timely decisions when severe complications arise to achieve a favourable maternal and perinatal outcome.