Lupus Is Linked To Pregnancy Loss
Lupus is linked to pregnancy loss according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Research performed by Megan E.B. Clowse, MD MPH, Laurence Magder, PhD., Frank Witter, MD, and Michelle Petri MD MPH has shown that four early risk factors are linked to pregnancy loss. Their research appeared in the article Early Risk Factors For Pregnancy Loss (Obstet Gynecol 2006 107: 293-299).
The researchers studied all Lupus patients in their first trimester of pregnancy from 1987 to 2002 at the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center. Of the 166 pregnancies, 27 ended in loss. Researchers compiled the same data from each patient at each visit: protein level in urine, heart rate, blood platelet count and antiphospholipid syndrome.
Research showed that pregnancy loss occurred in women with a protein level of 500 mg or more within a 24-hour period, blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg, blood platelets fewer than 150,000 and antiphospholipid syndrome diagnosed using the Sapporo criteria.
It is recommended that Lupus patients be checked frequently during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Researchers coined the acronym PATH to help physicians remember to test for these four risk factors.
Patients that have been diagnosed with Lupus should bring this information to their gynecologist’s attention immediately as soon as they are sure they are pregnant. Lupus patients that are pregnant will need more regular monitoring than their counterparts without the disease.
