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First National Study Shows Need to Monitor Lupus Pregnancies More Closely

Monday, September 11, 2006

First National Study Shows Need to Monitor Lupus Pregnancies More Closely

Researchers compared pregnancy outcomes in women with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to pregnancy outcomes in women with diabetes and in healthy women. The researchers used a large collection of information from the 2002 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to compare the number of pregnancies among women in these groups around the nation. They also compared the length of time people in each group were hospitalized, the numbers of women who developed high blood pressure or related complications during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia (toxemia), how many women developed premature rupture of membranes, and how many pregnancies in each group led to poor growth of the baby in the mother’s womb.

Women with lupus, RA, and diabetes had significantly increased rates of high blood pressure complications compared with the general healthy group, as well as longer hospital stays and significantly higher risk of needing a cesarean section (surgical delivery of the baby). Because women with lupus and RA also have more pregnancy complications, close monitoring of these pregnancies is highly recommended.

Click here to read the abstract.

Eliza F. Chakravarty, Lorene Nelson, and Eswar Krishnan, Arthritis & Rheumatism 54;3:899-907

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Blogged on 9:37 PM

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