Recurrent sideroblastic anemia during pregnancy

Clin Case Rep. 2023 Jan 11;11(1):e6814. doi: 10.1002/ccr3.6814. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Sideroblastic anemia is a heterogeneous group of disorders typified by the presence of ring sideroblasts in the bone marrow and has congenital and acquired types. Sideroblastic anemia is a rare event in pregnancy. We report a case of a 32-year-old female patient, gravida 4 para 3, 27th weeks pregnant, who presented to the emergency department complaining of palpitation and generalized weakness for 2 weeks. She was found to have severe normochromic normocytic anemia, with hemoglobin of 4.2 g/dl, and low reticulocytes count of 13 × 103/μl. She gave a history of recurrent anemia, which had only occurred during pregnancy. Her bone marrow aspirate showed many ring sideroblasts concluding the diagnosis of sideroblastic anemia (SA). Further investigation revealed a significantly low pyridoxine level (vitamin B6) of (8 nmol/L). The Hb level improved with vitamin B6 replacement, without any transfusion support.

Keywords: acquired sideroblastic anemia; congenital sideroblastic anemia; heme biosynthesis; iron chelation; ring sideroblasts; vitamin B6.

Publication types

  • Case Reports