Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background & aim: Pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are considered to be at high risk regarding fetal complications and adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fetal outcomes in pregnant women with the SLE. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on a total of 125 patients with the SLE referred to the Clinic and Department of Rheumatology of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran from January 1 in 1997 to December 31 in 2017. The patients were classified according to the criteria of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics classification for the SLE. The data were obtained, including age, personal background, and pregnancy outcomesfrom medical records and discharge reports of the cases. Results: There were 217 pregnancies in 125 patients with the SLE. The mean age of the subjects was 27.25±5.08 years at pregnancy time. Among all, 86 (36.9%) pregnancies were reported as full-term deliveries. The incidence of fetal wastage in the patients was observed as 49.3%. Abortion, prematurity, and stillbirth were announced in 114 (52.5%), 12 (5.5%), and 5 (2.3%) pregnancies, respectively. Neonatal death was noticed in 8 (3.6%) pregnancies and neonatal lupus was reported in 3 neonates (1.3% of the pregnancies). Conclusion: The risk of fetal complications and adverse outcomes were very high in the patients with SLE. In geographical region under study, the subjects with the SLE continued to have high-risk pregnancies and consultation with their doctors should be considered.