Thalassaemic woman delivers healthy twins

On June 24, Sadika Patel, 27, a thalassaemia major patient, held her twin daughters for the first time.

On June 24, Sadika Patel, 27, a thalassaemia major patient, held her twin daughters for the first time.

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Patel had to wait 17 days to hold them because she suffered a postpartum shock. It is rare for thalassaemia patients to survive childbirth. Thalassemia major is an inherited blood disorder where the body does not produce haemoglobin, thereby causing progressive anaemia.

Patel underwent blood transfusion twice a month during her pregnancy. “Patel lost a lot of blood delivering twins,” said Dr Preeti Galvankar, gynaecologist, Nanavati hospital.

Post-delivery, the Bandra resident spent 20 days at the hospital after contracting pneumonia. She was discharged on Wednesday. According to Dr Rashid Merchant, Patel contracted tuberculosis in 2008 and later had a miscarriage. “Normal-ly, thalassaemia patients do not ovulate, let alone conceive,” said Dr Merchant.

The twins are not thalassaemia major, but doctors have to rule out Hepatitis C infection from the mother. “There is only 4% chance that the children will be infected,” Dr Merchant said.

The hospital waived half its fee as Patel belongs to the low-income group. “Sadika is proof that thalassaemics can have children,” said her grandfather, Abbas Shaikh, 85, who collected donations to fund her treatment.