The fetal outcomes of pregnancies of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in northern Israel.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the fetal outcomes of pregnancies of systemic lupus erythrematosus (SLE) patients in northern Israel. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The association between demographic characteristics, disease-related variables and adverse pregnancy outcome was assessed. RESULTS: Data were collected regarding 59 pregnancies of 35 SLE patients; 77.1% were Jewish patients and 22.8% Arab. None of the patients suffered from a major organ flare during pregnancy. There was no difference in the frequency of the different lupus manifestations across the two ethnic groups. The mean birth week of all pregnancies followed was 31.8 weeks. An adverse pregnancy outcome had occurred in 35.6% of the pregnancies. Intrauterine growth restriction was observed in 13.5% of the pregnancies. Antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) positivity, past major organ involvement and a younger age at conception were associated with an adverse pregnancy outcome; however, ethnicity was not associated. DISCUSSION: The pregnancy outcomes of our cohort are similar to those previously published, worse than the general population. Ethnicity did not affect the fetal outcome.