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Systemic Vasculitis and Pregnancy

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Abstract

Systemic Vasculitides (SV) are rare diseases and, unlike other rheumatic diseases, do not preferentially affect women during their childbearing age (with the exception of Takayasu arteritis and Behcet’s disease), so that pregnancy in these patients is still an uncommon event. In the last decades, the improvement in diagnosis and management of SV determined a reduction in mortality and morbidity of these patients; the consequent improvement in quality of life includes for young women the possibility to carry out one or more pregnancies. Some general guidelines for the management of patients with vasculitis during pregnancy can be suggested: (1) pregnancy in such patients must be followed by a multispecialistic team; (2) pregnancies should be planned when the disease is in remission; (3) flares of maternal disease during pregnancy should be promptly and aggressively treated, because active disease can cause pregnancy complications; (4) pregnancies complicated by the onset of vasculitis have a particularly severe prognosis, therefore efficient management and close clinical surveillance are indicated; (5) a revision of therapy must be performed for all female patients that ask for a pregnancy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumathology and Clinical Immunology, University and Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Maria Grazia Lazzaroni & Angela Tincani

  2. Rheumathology and Clinical immunology, Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Micaela Fredi

  3. Obstetric and Gynecology Unit, University and Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Sonia Zatti & Andrea Lojacono

Authors
  1. Maria Grazia Lazzaroni
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  2. Micaela Fredi
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  3. Sonia Zatti
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  4. Andrea Lojacono
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  5. Angela Tincani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Tincani .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Franco Dammacco

  2. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Domenico Ribatti

  3. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Angelo Vacca

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Lazzaroni, M.G., Fredi, M., Zatti, S., Lojacono, A., Tincani, A. (2016). Systemic Vasculitis and Pregnancy. In: Dammacco, F., Ribatti, D., Vacca, A. (eds) Systemic Vasculitides: Current Status and Perspectives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40136-2_19

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