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Connective Tissue Disease pp 147–158Cite as

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Pregnancy

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Part of the book series: Rare Diseases of the Immune System ((RDIS))

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease that affects predominantly women during their reproductive years. As expected, pregnancy is a common event in these women. A better understanding of the disease, the advances of the treatment, and creation of specialized multidisciplinary groups with experience in autoimmune diseases (involving physicians, obstetricians, pediatricians, and midwives) have led to dramatic improvement in disease management and pregnancy outcome over the last 20 years. However, maternal and fetal complications are still present. Risk factors for fetal and obstetric complications are disease activity at the conception and during pregnancy, lupus nephritis, arterial hypertension, positive antiphospholipid antibodies, and anti-Ro/SSA antibodies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Department, Hospital Córdoba, Cátedra de Medicina I. UHMI N 3, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Paula Alba

  2. The Lupus Research Unit, St. Thomas Hospital, London, UK

    Munther Khamashta

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  1. Paula Alba
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  2. Munther Khamashta
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Correspondence to Paula Alba .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Giovanni Bosco Hospital, Center of Immunopathology/Rare Dise, Torino, Torino, Italy

    Dario Roccatello

  2. University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Lorenzo Emmi

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Alba, P., Khamashta, M. (2016). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Pregnancy. In: Roccatello, D., Emmi, L. (eds) Connective Tissue Disease. Rare Diseases of the Immune System. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24535-5_11

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