Preterm delivery nearly twice as common in patients with lupus vs. general population
Healio Rheumatology reports preterm delivery occurs nearly twice as frequently among women with lupus compared with the general population, according to data presented at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2022 Congress by HSS rheumatologist Bella Mehta, MBBS, MS, MD.
Dr. Mehta explained, “As you all know, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that affects women of childbearing years.”
She continued, “In-hospital maternal mortality was declining in lupus patients compared with non-lupus patients. Similarly, fetal mortality also was decreasing in lupus patients as compared with non-lupus patients.”
Dr. Mehta and colleagues aimed to assess fetal and maternal morbidity in SLE, compared with the general population.
She said, “As you can see, most non-lupus deliveries have zero comorbidities. Whereas the ones with lupus have much higher comorbidity indexes.”
Dr. Mehta explained, “It does give a clear picture of a large number of pregnancies all over the U.S. Fetal morbidity and CDC-defined severe morbidity appeared to occur at a higher rate in patients with lupus compared to those without lupus.”
Read the full article at Healio.com.
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