1986 Volume 9 Issue 6 Pages 450-460
Thirteen patients with 15 pregnancies occurring during the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were reviewed. The effects of the disease activity and the therapy on the outcome of the pregnancy were evaluated.
Six patients became pregnant when the disease was active, including three patients who were first diagnosed as SLE after the conception. Three of them were treated with sufficient dose of steroids, and rescued. But the others lost their lives after delivery because of renal insufficiency. All of the seven patients (9 deliveries) who conceived during inactive phase of the disease delivered healthy babies at full term, although some of them increased the activity of their disease a little during the pregnancy. Eleven patients (13 pregnancies) were treated with a high dose of steroid after their deliveries, and their clinical courses were fine. However, two patients who did not take enough doses of steroid drugs died in postpartum period.
The data indicate that successful outcome of pregnancy may be expected in patients who do not have severe renal disease and conceive during the inactive phase of the disease. Administrations of enough doses of steroids to suppress the disease activity is advised even during pregnancy, and high doses of the drug seem to limit the incidence of exacerbation following delivery.
