Women With Axial Spondyloarthritis have an increased risk of Pregnancy Complications: Study

Results:

Data was available on 98 women with Axial Spondyloarthritis. There were 335 pregnancies resulting in 279 live births. Of these pregnancies 51.6% (173) were uncomplicated and 48.5% (162) were complicated, with 13.1% (44) encountering multiple complications. Preterm birth (12.5 % vs 5.2%, p<0.01) and preeclampsia (6.8 % vs 2.8%, p<0.01) were more prevalent in Axial Spondyloarthritis pregnancies than GRN. Low birth weight was more prevalent in Axial Spondyloarthritis pregnancies (8.2 % vs 2.9%, p<0.01), however small for gestational age was less prevalent (5.4 % vs 11%, p<0.01).

Thus, preterm birth, preeclampsia and low birth weight are significantly more prevalent in pregnancies of Axial Spondyloarthritis women. Furthermore, there is a high prevalence of complications in Axial Spondyloarthritis pregnancies overall. These results provide essential insight into the impact of Axial Spondyloarthritis in pregnancy and call for further research to understand the pathogenesis of these complications.

Reference:

What to expect when women with axial spondyloarthritis are expecting: Prevalence of complications of pregnancies in women with axial spondyloarthritis by Sinead Maguire et al. published in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35339842/