Medscape reports that women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had higher risks for maternal and fetal morbidity compared to those without the chronic autoimmune disorder, according to a nationwide analysis of U.S. data.

The 10-year study showed that patients with SLE had higher intrauterine growth restriction versus people without SLE  and more frequent preterm delivery, reported researchers led by Bella Mehta, MD, rheumatologist at HSS. 

"I don't want people to look at this study and counsel patients against pregnancies," Dr. Mehta said. "This is only to spark a conversation, saying these risks exist, but we need to manage these patients better and work in a multidisciplinary fashion so that we can just mitigate this."

She said future research will look at the risk differences in patient subgroups and racial demographics, which were not assessed in the current study.

Read the full article at medscape.com.