title: Pregnancy outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus: Asia's largest single centre study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate pregnancy outcome in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 71 pregnancies in 35 women with SLE were evaluated for maternal and perinatal outcomes in a tertiary centre of Northern India. Thirty-five pregnancies were evaluated prospectively while details of previous 36 pregnancies in the same women were studied retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Mean age of pregnant women with SLE was 26.89 ± 2.7 years and 14.57% were nulliparous. The presenting event was arthritis in 60% of the patients; others presented with febrile illness, renal manifestation and cutaneous manifestation. One woman was lupus anticoagulant positive. All women conceived while on disease quiescence period and were continued on the same pre-pregnancy dose of pharmacological agents. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were seen in 28.5% while chronic hypertension was seen in 5.6%. The incidence of abortion, preterm deliveries and perinatal loss was 33.8, 29.57 and 12.67%, respectively. Vaginal delivery rate was 47.88 and 18.3% underwent caesarean section. There was no case of neonatal lupus and none had disease flare-up in the postpartum period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A better pregnancy outcome can be expected if clinical remission is achieved and disease activity is adequately controlled prior to pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India. chddialysis@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Neelam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Ainharan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raveendran
authors.forename: Vanita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Suri
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sikka
authors.forename: Aman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007751:Labor, Induced; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult