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Pregnancy in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: Data from the Italian CMT national registry
Chiara Pisciotta1, Daniela Calabrese1, Lucio Santoro1
1From the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta (C. Pisciotta, D.C., I.T., P.S., D.P.), Milan; Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology (L.S., F.M., S.T.), Federico II University of Naples; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences (G.M.F., T.C.), University of Verona; Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal Infantile Sciences (A.S., M.G.), University of Genoa; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino (A.S., M.G.), Genoa; Division of Neuroscience and INSPE (S.C.P.), IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan; A.O. di Parma (I.A., M.C.T.), U.O. Neurologia; Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (L.P.); Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS (L.P., C. Pazzaglia), Rome; Neuroscience Centre (A.Q.), Magna Graecia University and Neuroimaging Research Unit, IBFM-CNR, Germaneto, Catanzaro; Department of Medical Sciences (P.V.), Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro; Unit of Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases (L.G., M.R., A.M., G.V.), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina; and Department of Woman, Newborn and Child (F.P.), Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, and University of Milan, Italy.
Objective:
To collect information on frequency of pregnancy and delivery complications in Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and on CMT course during pregnancy.
Methods:
Through an ad hoc online questionnaire, we investigated pregnancy and neuropathy course in women with CMT adhering to the Italian CMT Registry. Data were compared to those of controls (recruited among friends and unaffected relatives) and the Italian (or other reference) population.
Results:
We collected data on 193 pregnancies from 86 women with CMT (age 20-73 years) with 157 deliveries (81.4%) after a mean of 38.6 gestational weeks. In women with CMT, there were no differences compared to controls (59 pregnancies and 46 deliveries from 24 controls) and the reference population for miscarriages (11.4%) and planned (21.0%) and emergency (14.0%) cesarean sections. We found a significantly higher frequency of placenta previa (1.6% vs 0.4%), abnormal fetal presentations (8.4% vs 4.5%), and preterm deliveries (20.3% vs 6.9%; most in week 34-36 of gestation) compared to reference populations. Excluding twins, newborn weight did not differ from the reference population. Postpartum bleeding rate in patients with CMT (2.1%) was similar to that of the general population (2.4%). CMT status worsened during 18 of 193 pregnancies (9.3%) with no recovery in 16 of them and with similar figures in the CMT1A and non-CMT1A subtypes.
Conclusions:
We observed higher rates of placenta previa, abnormal presentations, and preterm deliveries in CMT, but pregnancy outcome and newborn weight and health were similar to those of the reference populations. Worsening of CMT is not infrequent and occurs not only in CMT1A. Pregnant women with CMT should be monitored with particular care.