Women with SLE have higher risk of stillbirth

A greater risk for stillbirth was seen in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Canadian cohort, according to recently presented data.

Researchers examined the Offspring of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Registry (OSLER), a population-based cohort of women identified through Quebec’s health care databases between 1989 and 2009 who had one or more hospitalizations for delivery after diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The database also includes a randomly selected healthy control group of women matched at least four to one by age and delivery year to the women with SLE.

Stillbirths were defined as intrauterine deaths occurring 20 weeks after gestational age and were identified in the OSLER cohort in both women with and without SLE. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was used to estimate the risk for stillbirth.

The 509 women in the database had 729 births, including nine stillbirths (1.4%). Within the matched control cohort of 5,829 women, 8,541 births were recorded, including 47 stillbirths (0.6%). The adjusted risk for women with SLE to have a stillbirth was 2.16, according to the researchers.

Median maternal age was identical in the group of patients with SLE and the control group (31 years). Six of the nine stillbirths in patients with SLE were female — a higher percentage than in the control group of healthy women, who had 22 female stillbirths out of 47 total. A younger median gestational age was seen in women with SLE by 6 weeks compared with the control group.

Causes of death in both groups included hypertensive disorders, obstetrical complications, placental disruptions and others, according to the researchers. – by Shirley Pulawski

Reference:

Vinet E, et al. Paper #2666. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting. Nov. 14-19, 2014; Boston.

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.