Women With Lupus Face More Pregnancy Risks

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus face increased risks of death, infection, clotting and complications when they become pregnant, finds a U.S. study.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, also known as SLE or lupus, is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and/or other organs of the body.

Using data from the National Inpatient Survey database, the researchers examined the records of the more than 17,000 women with SLE who gave birth during that period.

Women with SLE were significantly more likely to have other medical conditions associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including renal failure, antiphospholipid syndrome, hypertension and diabetes.

The risk of maternal mortality among women with SLE was 20 times higher than that of women without the disease, or 325/100,000 live births, compared to 14/100,000 in non-SLE pregnancies, according to study leader Dr. Megan Clowse of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

The findings were presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington.