Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus During Pregnancy

Lupus nephritis: management challenges during pregnancy

Lupus nephritis (LN), a severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), leads to significant kidney inflammation and damage and drastically increases mortality risk. Predominantly impacting women in their reproductive years, LN poses specific risks during pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, growth restrictions, stillbirth, and preterm delivery, exacerbated by lupus activity, specific antibodies, and pre-existing conditions like hypertension. Effective management of LN during pregnancy is crucial and involves carefully balancing disease control with the safety of the fetus. This includes pre-conception counseling and a multidisciplinary approach among specialists to navigate the complexities LN patients face during pregnancy, such as distinguishing LN flare-ups from pregnancy-induced conditions. This review focuses on exploring the complex dynamics between pregnancy and LN, emphasizing the management difficulties and the heightened risks pregnant women with LN encounter.

Calcineurin inhibitors in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus during pregnancy: A narrative review with emphasis on efficacy and safety

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) predominantly affects child-bearing women, leading to an elevated risk of maternal and fetal complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Since some medications can cross the placental barrier that persist a threat to both mother and fetus, the risk-benefit ratio of SLE medications should be taken into consideration during pregnancy. Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), mainly including cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, and voclosporin, is a category of immunosuppressive agents that inhibit calcium/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin to block T cell activation. Based on the current clinical evidence, CNI is an alternative in pregnant SLE patients with persistent disease activity (especially lupus nephritis patients) and non-responders to azathioprine. However, there is no comprehensive review that summarizes the efficacy and safety profile of CNI for SLE management during pregnancy. This review presents a summary on the utilization of CNI for SLE management during pregnancy, including the mechanism of action, gestational amelioration of lupus flare, and the balance of maternal benefit-fetal risk, which may provide more references for the management of SLE pregnancies.

Placental damage in pregnancies with systemic lupus erythematosus: A narrative review

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown cause, which mainly affects women of childbearing age, especially between 15 and 55 years of age. During pregnancy, SLE is associated with a high risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Among the most frequent complications are spontaneous abortion, fetal death, prematurity, intrauterine Fetal growth restriction (FGR), and preeclampsia (PE). The pathophysiology underlying obstetric mortality and morbidity in SLE is still under investigation, but several studies in recent years have suggested that placental dysfunction may play a crucial role. Understanding this association will contribute to developing therapeutic options and improving patient management thus reducing the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in this group of women. In this review, we will focus on the relationship between SLE and placental insufficiency leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Potential genetic biomarkers predict adverse pregnancy outcome during early and mid-pregnancy in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND

Effectively predicting the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during early and mid-pregnancy is a challenge. This study was aimed to identify potential markers for early prediction of APO risk in women with SLE.

METHODS

The GSE108497 gene expression dataset containing 120 samples (36 patients, 84 controls) was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened to define candidate APO marker genes. Next, three individual machine learning methods, random forest, support vector machine-recursive feature elimination, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, were combined to identify feature genes from the APO candidate set. The predictive performance of feature genes for APO risk was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration curves. The potential functions of these feature genes were finally analyzed by conventional gene set enrichment analysis and CIBERSORT algorithm analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 321 significantly up-regulated genes and 307 down-regulated genes between patients and controls, along with 181 potential functionally associated genes in the WGCNA analysis. By integrating these results, we revealed 70 APO candidate genes. Three feature genes, SEZ6, NRAD1, and LPAR4, were identified by machine learning methods. Of these, SEZ6 (AUC = 0.753) showed the highest in-sample predictive performance for APO risk in pregnant women with SLE, followed by NRAD1 (AUC = 0.694) and LPAR4 (AUC = 0.654). After performing leave-one-out cross validation, corresponding AUCs for SEZ6, NRAD1, and LPAR4 were 0.731, 0.668, and 0.626, respectively. Moreover, CIBERSORT analysis showed a positive correlation between regulatory T cell levels and SEZ6 expression (P < 0.01), along with a negative correlation between M2 macrophages levels and LPAR4 expression (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary findings suggested that SEZ6, NRAD1, and LPAR4 might represent the useful genetic biomarkers for predicting APO risk during early and mid-pregnancy in women with SLE, and enhanced our understanding of the origins of pregnancy complications in pregnant women with SLE. However, further validation was required.

Optimizing reproductive health management in lupus and Sjogren's syndrome

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

People with childbearing capacity who are diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren's syndrome (SS) have specific and important reproductive health considerations.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recommendations from the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) provide rheumatologists and other clinicians with guidance for reproductive health management of patients with rheumatic diseases. Patient-centered reproductive health counseling can help clinicians to operationalize the EULAR and ACR guidelines and enhance patient care.

SUMMARY

Disease activity monitoring, risk factor stratification, and prescription of pregnancy-compatible medications during pregnancy help to anticipate complications and enhance pregnancy outcomes in SLE and SS. Assisted reproductive technologies are also safe among people with well-controlled disease. Safe and effective contraceptive methods are available for patients with SLE and SS, and pregnancy termination appears to be safe among these patients.

Competence of medical and obstetric registrars in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus in pregnancy

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus has a predilection for women of childbearing age. Globally a shortage of rheumatologists exists resulting in general physicians and obstetricians treating systemic lupus erythematosus in pregnancy.

Methods

We conducted a survey amongst medical and obstetric registrars in South Africa to assess their subjective and objective competence in managing pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Results

The pass rate for the objective section was 70.8% with no statistically significant difference in the pass rate between medical and obstetric registrars. Participants felt unprepared to manage pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus, with a mean overall score of 3.4 out of 7 for the subjective section, based on four Likert scale type questions.

Conclusion

Trainees are not able to accurately assess their own levels of competence in order to identify their learning needs. Due to the shortage of rheumatologists and lack of obstetric physicians in South Africa, general physicians and obstetricians must be equipped to provide adequate care to pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Maternal Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) High Risk for Preterm Delivery and Not for Long-Term Neurological Morbidity of the Offspring

Objective: Pregnancies of women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are associated with preterm delivery. As preterm delivery is associated with long-term neurological morbidity, we opted to evaluate the long-term neurologic outcomes of offspring born to mothers with SLE regardless of gestational age. Methods: Perinatal outcomes and long-term neurological disease of children of women with and without SLE during pregnancy were evaluated. Children of women with and without SLE were followed until 18 years of age for neurological diseases. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to assess perinatal outcomes. To compare cumulative neurological morbidity incidence a Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to control for confounders. Result: A total of 243,682 deliveries were included, of which 100 (0.041%) were of women with SLE. Using a GEE model, maternal SLE was noted as an independent risk factor for preterm delivery. The cumulative incidence of long-term neurological disease was not found to be significantly higher when using the Kaplan Meier survival curves and maternal SLE was not found to be associated with long-term neurological disease of the offspring when a Cox model was used. Conclusion: Despite the association of SLE with preterm delivery, no difference in long-term neurological disease was found among children of women with or without SLE.

Treatment of severe thrombocytopenia associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in pregnancy with eltrombopag: A case report and literature review

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Severe thrombocytopenia associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in pregnancy is infrequent. Its occurrence can lead to serious adverse pregnancy consequences and perinatal complications. The thrombopoietin (TPO) analogue eltrombopag has been successfully used in the treatment of autoimmune thrombocytopenia, but its safety and efficacy in severe thrombocytopenia during pregnancy remain unclear.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a 33-year-old woman with SLE at 29 + 3 weeks gestational age who developed severe thrombocytopenia with complaints of epistaxis, gum bleeding and haematuresis. Most conventional treatments including glucocorticoids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and cyclosporine did not elevate her platelets, but eltrombopag worked well and her platelet count gradually recovered, allowing her to deliver a healthy baby at 36 + 3 weeks gestational age.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

This suggests that eltrombopag in combination with glucocorticoids has a good safety and efficacy profile in pregnant patients with SLE complicated by severe thrombocytopenia.

Pregnancy rates and perinatal outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: data from the Korean national health claims database

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES

The pregnancy rate in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not fully understood and comparisons of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) with SLE versus the general population are limited. This study aimed to estimate the pregnancy rate and APOs in Korean SLE compared to those without SLE.

METHOD

Pregnant women were identified using the ICD-10 codes for delivery and abortion in the Korean national health claims database (2013-2015). APOs were classified as fetal loss, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Annual incidence rates (IRs) of pregnancy and APOs were calculated in women with SLE and the general population without SLE and the two groups were compared using age-adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Age-stratified IRRs were further analyzed.

RESULTS

The annual IRs of pregnancy in SLE were 29.54-30.70 per 1000 persons. The IRRs were lower in women with SLE than in the general population: 0.68 (0.61-0.76), 0.66 (0.60-0.74), and 0.74 (0.66-0.82) in each respective year. The IRRs of fetal loss, IUGR, and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were 1.30 (1.14-1.49), 4.65 (3.55-6.09), and 3.43 (2.70-4.36), respectively. However, the IRR of gestational diabetes in SLE did not significantly differ from that of women without SLE. Among the APOs, fetal loss, IUGR, and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia showed decreasing tendencies as age increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Pregnancy rates in SLE were approximately 30% lower than those in the general population. Except for gestational diabetes, fetal loss, IUGR, and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were higher in SLE and showed a decreasing tendency with age. Key Points • This population-based cohort study showed that pregnancy rates in SLE were approximately 30% lower than those in the general population. • SLE had a 1.3-fold higher rate of fetal loss, more than 4-fold higher IUGR rate, and more than 3-fold pre-eclampsia or eclampsia rate compared with the general population. • Adverse pregnancy outcomes in SLE showed a decreasing tendency with age.

Pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVES

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic illness that often affects women of reproductive age. The objectives of this article are to review the impact of SLE on pregnancy and current management strategies, including commonly used therapies.

METHODS

We conducted a review of available literature on the clinical course of SLE, diagnosis, management and pregnancy complications.

RESULTS

SLE has a variable clinical course characterized by flares and periods of remission and can present unique challenges in the management of obstetric patients. Pregnancy in patients with SLE is associated with multiple risks, including fetal loss, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and hypertensive disease. With advancements in disease treatment, many women have favorable pregnancy outcomes, but appropriate preconception counseling and disease management remain important tools in reducing complications.

CONCLUSION

Given the implications SLE can have on women of reproductive age and in pregnancy, understanding the disease course and management is important in order to optimize pregnancy outcomes.

Effectiveness of reproductive health counseling of women with systemic lupus erythematosus: observational cross-sectional study at an academic lupus clinic

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects women of childbearing age. To optimize fetal and maternal outcomes, effective reproductive health counseling is crucial. To analyze the effectiveness of reproductive health counseling in women with SLE and identify gaps in patient educational needs. Cross-sectional study including women aged 18-45 years fulfilling ACR'97 and/or SLICC criteria, followed at an academic lupus clinic. Participants fulfilled a questionnaire evaluating brief obstetric history, knowledge about impact of SLE in pregnancy outcomes, recall of reproductive health counseling, contraception use and reproductive healthcare received. Effectiveness of reproductive health counseling was analyzed, and potential predictors of contraceptive use (age, previous spontaneous abortion, level of knowledge about SLE and reproductive planning) were tested by multiple regression analysis. We enrolled 108 women (mean age: 34.4 ± 7.1 years; mean disease duration: 10.3 ± 7.3 years). 64.8% of the patients recalled receiving information about family planning, and 81% about contraception. Only 38% declared to be well informed about the impact of SLE on pregnancy. In this cohort, 23.2% wanted a pregnancy in the future; the remainder already had the children they wanted or planned a subsequent pregnancy. Contraceptive use was reported by 79.6% of the patients (oral contraceptives by 39.8% and intrauterine device by 20.4%), while 11.1% reported unprotected intercourses. No statistically significant predictors of contraceptive use were identified. In this academic Lupus Clinic, most SLE women of childbearing age received effective reproductive health counseling and use contraceptive methods. Their unmet needs were identified to guide optimization of patient counseling.

Maternal and fetal complications associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: An updated meta-analysis of the most recent studies (2017-2019)

BACKGROUND

Recent guidelines provide better treatment and management of pregnancy in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this analysis, we aimed to systematically assess the maternal and fetal complications associated with SLE using the most recent studies (2017-2019) to obtain an updated result of the present situation.

METHODS

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for English based studies comparing maternal and fetal complications in pregnant women with versus without SLE. Maternal and fetal complications were the endpoints in this analysis. The RevMan software 5.3 (latest version) was the most suitable analytical software for this analysis. Data were represented by risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

A total number of eight million eight hundred and twelve thousand two hundred seventy-two (8,812,272) participants were included in this analysis, consisting of 9696 SLE-associated pregnancy. Based on an analysis of recently published studies (2017-2019), pre-eclampsia/eclampsia was significantly higher in pregnant women with SLE (RR: 3.38, 95% CI: 3.15-3.62; P = .00001). SLE was also associated with an increased risk of stillbirth (RR: 16.49, 95% CI: 2.95-92.13; P = .001) and fetal loss (RR: 7.55, 95% CI: 4.75-11.99; P = .00001). Abortion (RR: 4.70, 95% CI: 3.02-7.29; P = .00001) and the risk for cesarean section due to complications (RR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.11-1.70; P = .003) were also significantly higher in pregnant women with SLE. In addition, fetal complications including preterm birth (RR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.78-3.05; P = .00001), infants who were small for gestational age (RR: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.41-4.45; P = .002) and infants with low birth weight (RR: 4.78, 95% CI: 3.65-6.26; P = .00001) were also significantly higher in newborns from mothers with SLE. Moreover, the risk of newborns who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (RR: 2.79, 95% CI: 2.31-3.37; P = .00001), newborns with an APGAR score <7 within 1 minute (RR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.68-3.62; P = .00001) and 5 minutes (RR: 3.63, 95% CI: 2.04-6.45; P = .0001) respectively, were significantly highly associated with SLE.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the most recent studies, we could conclude that maternal and fetal complications were significantly higher in SLE-associated pregnancy. Therefore, SLE should still be considered a severe risk factor for pregnancy.

El embarazo en mujeres con lupus eritematoso sistémico: una revisión integrativa

Introducción: En la actualidad, se conoce que el lupus eritematoso sistémico no afecta a la fertilidad; sin embargo, el embarazo en mujeres que lo padecen se asocia a riesgos, tanto maternos como fetales. Objetivo: Determinar las variables que intervienen en la preparación y control de la gestación en mujeres con lupus eritematoso sistémico, así como las medidas de enfermería más importantes. Material y Método: Se ha realizado una revisión integrativa mediante una búsqueda en las bases de datos Proquest, Pubmed y Web of Science. Se incluyeron artículos científicos originales, observacionales y de revisión, en inglés y español, excluyendo aquellos artículos anteriores a 2009 o que no estuviesen en texto completo. Resultados: Se han incluido 15 artículos publicados entre el año 2009 y 2019. El embarazo en pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico es complejo, ya que necesita de un control exhaustivo y continuo para conseguir buenos resultados. Un cambio de tratamiento, test de laboratorio cada cierto tiempo y la vigilancia de un equipo multidisciplinar, harán que la enfermedad se encuentre controlada y los riesgos de complicaciones maternas y fetales disminuyan. Conclusiones: En la actualidad, la mayoría de las mujeres con lupus eritematoso sistémico pueden conseguir el objetivo de la maternidad, siempre y cuando la enfermedad se encuentre controlada al menos 6 meses antes de la concepción y durante todo el embarazo. Las variables más determinantes en el embarazo de la mujer con lupus eritematoso sistémico son la fertilidad, las complicaciones o el tratamiento, que influyen de forma directa sobre el embarazo.

Patterns of medication use before, during and after pregnancy in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a population-based cohort study

Objectives

This study aimed to characterize the patterns of medication use before, during and after pregnancy in a population-based cohort of women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Using population-based administrative data in British Columbia, Canada, with valid information on start date of pregnancy, we identified women with SLE who had singleton pregnancies ending in deliveries between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2012. We assessed the proportion of SLE pregnancies exposed to SLE medications – namely antimalarials and immunosuppressants – as well as glucocorticosteroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 24 months before pregnancy, each trimester of pregnancy, and 12 months postpregnancy. We also assessed discontinuation of antimalarials and immunosuppressants, defined as no prescriptions in a given window following a prescription in a preceding window.

Results

Of 376 pregnancies (284 women) with SLE, 24.2% had one or more dispensing for antimalarials, 8.2% for azathioprine, 19.7% for glucocorticosteroids and 4.8% for NSAIDs during pregnancy. We observed a 16.7% discontinuation of antimalarials in the year prior to pregnancy, 29.8% in the first trimester, 9.7% in the second trimester, and 26.0% in the third trimester. We also observed a 29.2% discontinuation of azathioprine in the first trimester, 8.0% in the second trimester, and 9.1% in the third trimester.

Conclusions

These population-based data show frequent discontinuation of medications, particularly antimalarials, in SLE pregnancies. These findings suggest the importance of educating women with SLE who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant on the benefits and risks of medications during pregnancy.

Fetal and Maternal Outcomes of Planned Pregnancy in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Objective

To investigate the fetal and maternal outcomes as well as predictors of APOs in women with SLE who conceived when the disease was stable, the so-called "planned pregnancy." Methods. A retrospective multicenter study of 243 patients with SLE who underwent a planned pregnancy was performed. APOs in fetus and mothers were recorded.

Results

The average age at conception was 28.9 ± 3.9 years. Duration of SLE prior to pregnancy was 4.4 ± 4.3 years. Fetal APOs occurred in 86 (86/243, 35.4%) patients. Preterm births, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), fetal distress, and fetal loss accounted for 22.2%, 14.8%, 11.1%, and 4.9%, respectively. Forty-two preterm infants (42/54, 77.8%) were delivered after the 34th week of gestation. All the preterm infants were viable. Fifty-two patients (52/243, 21.4%) had disease flares, among which 45 cases (45/52, 86.5%) were mild, 6 (6/52, 11.5%) were moderate, and 1 (1/52, 1.9%) was severe. Disease flares were mainly presented as active lupus nephritis (41/52, 78.8%), thrombocytopenia (10/52, 19.2%), and skin/mucosa lesions (9/52, 17.3%). Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) occurred in 29 patients, among which 3 were gestational hypertension and 26 were preeclampsia. Multiple analysis showed that disease flares (OR, 8.1; CI, 3.8-17.2) and anticardiolipin antibody positivity (OR, 7.4; CI, 2.5-21.8) were associated with composite fetal APOs.

Conclusion

Planned pregnancy improved fetal and maternal outcomes, presenting as a lower rate of fetal loss, more favorable outcomes for preterm infants, and less severe disease flares during pregnancy.