Fetal, Maternal Morbidity Increased for Patients With Lupus

WEDNESDAY, April 26, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have higher fetal and maternal morbidity in deliveries compared with those without SLE, according to a study published online April 25 in RMD Open.

Bella Mehta, M.B.B.S., M.D., from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and colleagues identified delivery-related hospital admissions of patients with and without SLE from 2008 to 2017 using retrospective data from the National Inpatient Sample.

The researchers found that 51,161 patients among the 40 million delivery-related admissions were reported to have SLE. Compared with patients without SLE, patients with SLE had a higher risk for fetal morbidity, including intrauterine growth restriction (8.0 versus 2.7 percent) and preterm delivery (14.5 versus 7.3 percent). Compared with those without SLE, mothers with SLE were nearly four times as likely to require a blood transfusion or develop a cerebrovascular disorder and 15 times as likely to develop acute renal failure during delivery.

"Despite extensive efforts over the years, there remains substantial risk for both maternal and fetal complications," the authors write. "This information serves to inform both patients and their doctors, promote individual level counselling, and thereby improve outcomes."

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