Hydroxyurea use during pregnancy: A case report in sickle cell disease and review of the literature

A patient being treated for sickle cell disease with hydroxyurea (1 g/d) conceived, and drug treatment was discontinued at nine weeks gestational age. The pregnancy and delivery were complicated by vaso-oclusive crises. A healthy male infant was born at 39 weeks with no evidence of congenital malformations. A literature review, including this case, suggests that the risk of hydroxyurea exposure during in pregnancy may have been overestimated. Further studies are required to determine its safety in pregnancy. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.