Frequency of lupus flare in pregnancy. The Hopkins Lupus Pregnancy Center experience. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • To determine whether pregnancy is associated with an increased rate of flare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we prospectively studied 40 pregnancies in 37 women with SLE. The women were evaluated on a monthly basis in the Hopkins Lupus Pregnancy Center. Flare was designated using a previously developed quantitative definition, i.e., a change of greater than 1.0 in the physician's global assessment (scale of 0-3) since the preceding visit or during the last 93 days. Flare occurred in 24 (60%) of the pregnancies. Flares presented most commonly as constitutional symptoms, renal involvement, or involvement of skin or joints. Comparison of the rates of flare in the same patients after delivery and in nonpregnant SLE patients showed a significant increase in the rate of flare during pregnancy (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.0001, respectively). We conclude that flare of lupus during pregnancy is common and occurs significantly more frequently than does flare in nonpregnant SLE patients or in the same patients after pregnancy.

publication date

  • December 1, 1991

Research

keywords

  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
  • Pregnancy Complications

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0026329304

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/art.1780341210

PubMed ID

  • 1670196

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 34

issue

  • 12