Pregnancy Safe for 80% of Women with Lupus

Topic: Lupus
Author: Hospital for Special Surgery
Published: 2011/11/06 - Updated: 2021/12/05
Contents: Summary - Introduction - Main Item - Related Topics

Synopsis: Promising research may offer hope for women with lupus who once thought that pregnancy was too risky. In the study, two categories of pregnancy complications were evaluated: the health of the mother and of the fetus. The research team studied development of mild, moderate, or severe increases of lupus activity, or flares, in expectant mothers. We learn from these results that timing is a most important element for successful pregnancy in women with lupus and that avoiding pregnancy during periods of increased disease activity is essential.

Introduction

Most women with lupus can have successful pregnancy outcomes - Results from multi-center NIH PROMISSE study find pregnancy safe for 80 percent of women with lupus.

Main Item

Results from the multi-center National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded PROMISSE initiative, being presented Monday, Nov. 7 and then during a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 8, during the American College of Rheumatology's 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, show that most women with stable lupus can have successful pregnancies.

"There was a misconception, based on outdated experience, that women with lupus should not try to have children," said Jane Salmon, M.D., the study's senior author and Collette Kean Research Chair at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. "Now that our treatments are more effective and we have a better understanding of the disease, we can identify a window when pregnancy is safe and outcomes are good for mother and fetus."

Historically, women with systemic lupus erythematosus (also know as SLE or lupus) have been advised not to become pregnant because of risks to their own and their fetus' health. SLE is a chronic inflammatory disease, in which the body's own immune system attacks tissues of the body and can cause complications during pregnancy.

Drs. Salmon, together with Jill Buyon from New York University Medical Center, and their collaborators evaluated 333 pregnant women with lupus from the PROMISSE Study (Predictors of pregnancy Outcome: Biomarkers In antiphospholipid antibody Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), which seeks to identify biomarkers that predict poor pregnancy outcomes. The research team found that 80 percent of lupus patients had a favorable pregnancy outcome.

Patients with lupus may be free of symptoms for long periods of time and then experience a disease "flare," when symptoms such as rash, joint pain, chest pain, swollen legs, bruising and/or fatigue suddenly appear.

"Most women with stable lupus, defined as limited disease activity and no flares during the time of conception and the first trimester, had successful pregnancies," explained Dr. Salmon, who is also the principal investigator of the PROMISSE Study. "We learn from these results that timing is a most important element for successful pregnancy in women with lupus and that avoiding pregnancy during periods of increased disease activity is essential."

In the study, two categories of pregnancy complications were evaluated: the health of the mother and of the fetus. The research team studied development of mild, moderate, or severe increases of lupus activity, or flares, in expectant mothers. For the fetus, the study examined the worst outcome - death - or situations in which the well being of the child would require extended hospitalization in a critical care unit.

Of the 333 women with lupus studied, 63 had poor outcomes. Ten percent of mothers experienced preeclampsia, a serious complication characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and appearance of protein in the urine. Ten percent experienced mild or moderate flares at 20 weeks and eight percent experienced flares at 32 weeks. Nineteen women experienced death of the fetus and 30 women delivered before 36 weeks or had newborns of small gestational size - smaller in size than normal for the baby's sex and gestational age, commonly defined as a weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age.

None of the women in the study was pregnant with more than one fetus, took more than 20 mg/d of prednisone, or had abnormally high excretion of protein or impaired kidney function. The women who experienced complications had more active lupus at 20 and 32 weeks and higher levels of antiphospholipid antibodies.

The PROMISSE Study

The PROMISSE study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health in 2003 to identify biomarkers that would predict poor pregnancy outcomes in lupus patients. To date, the PROMISSE investigative team has enrolled 647 volunteers who are monitored with monthly checkups and research laboratory studies looking at genes and circulating proteins that may predict the course of pregnancy. PROMISSE will continue through 2013 with $12.3 million in support over ten years from NIAMS and the office of Research in Women's Health. Dr. Salmon and co-investigators from 11 academic centers will continue to examine a broad range of genes and molecular pathways that can affect pregnancy in women with lupus, and, it is anticipated that their findings will have applications for the prevention of miscarriage and preeclampsia in healthy women.

The PROMISSE Study is coordinated by Dr. Salmon; Other investigators include Michael Lockshin, M.D., and Lisa Sammaritano, M.D., at Hospital for Special Surgery; Jill Buyon, M.D., at New York University School of Medicine; Ware Branch, M.D., at University of Utah Health Sciences Center; Carl Laskin, M.D., at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada; Joan Merrill, M.D., at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation; Michelle Petri, M.D., MPH, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Mimi Kim, D.Sc., at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Mary Stephenson, M.D., at the University of Chicago.

Hospital for Special Surgery

Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics, No. 2 in rheumatology, No. 19 in neurology, and No. 16 in geriatrics by U.S.News & World Report (2011-12), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. From 2007 to 2011, HSS has been a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Hospital for Special Surgery, and published on 2011/11/06 (Edit Update: 2021/12/05), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Hospital for Special Surgery can be contacted at hss.edu. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

Explore Related Topics

1 - - New findings raise hope for new drugs to treat lupus without the adverse risks and side effects often associated with current treatments for this disease.

2 - - Local supporters with lupus, their friends and families walk to raise funds, awareness and congressional support for lupus.

3 - - Promising research may offer hope for women with lupus who once thought that pregnancy was too risky.

4 - - Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease of connective tissue that causes the immune system to become hyperactive and attack normal healthy tissue.

5 - - Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care at Hospital for Special Surgery brings together patient care education and research.

Complete List of Related Information

Page Information, Citing and Disclaimer

Disabled World is a comprehensive online resource that provides information and news related to disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility issues. Founded in 2004 our website covers a wide range of topics, including disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, and independent living, with the goal of supporting the disability community and their families.

Cite This Page (APA): Hospital for Special Surgery. (2011, November 6 - Last revised: 2021, December 5). Pregnancy Safe for 80% of Women with Lupus. Disabled World. Retrieved October 10, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/health/autoimmunediseases/lupus/pregnancy-hope.php

Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/health/autoimmunediseases/lupus/pregnancy-hope.php">Pregnancy Safe for 80% of Women with Lupus</a>: Promising research may offer hope for women with lupus who once thought that pregnancy was too risky.

Disabled World provides general information only. Materials presented are never meant to substitute for qualified medical care. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.