Lupus science & medicine
Impact of pregnancy on organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicentre study
By Zucchi D, Cascarano G, Hulej G and 10 others.
Abstract
Objectives
Pregnancy in SLE is associated with increased maternal and fetal risks but its impact on irreversible organ damage remains unclear. We assessed whether pregnancy independently contributes to short-term organ damage accrual in women with SLE.
Methods
We retrospectively analysed prospectively collected data from two tertiary referral centres with dedicated pregnancy clinics. Women fulfilling SLE classification criteria were included if complete damage assessments were available from 2 years before conception to 1 year after conception. Organ damage was assessed using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index (SDI). Within-patient SDI changes during the pregnancy/early postpartum period were compared with the pre-pregnancy reference period. Given the limited number of events, effect sizes and CIs were prioritised. Sensitivity analyses included non-parametric effect sizes and restriction to one pregnancy per woman.