MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Mehta Bella Mehta, MBBS, MS Assistant Attending Physician, Hospital for Special Surgery Instructor, Weill Cornell Medical College MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: For women with lupus, pregnancy has long been considered high-risk and associated with both medical and obstetric complications. In the 1960s and 1970s, pregnancy was thought to be contraindicated in lupus patients. Beginning in the 1980s, and especially in the 1990s, many studies identified specific risk factors for pregnancy complications and proposed best-practice management guidelines. We wished to see whether these advances improved pregnancy outcomes for lupus patients. Our study showed a decline in maternal mortality and other outcomes in lupus patients. The improvement in pregnancy outcomes was observed more so in lupus patients than those without lupus.  MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: I think the biggest take home point is that more lupus patients are attempting pregnancies in the past two decades and that they are successfully delivering. Also, the risks of poor outcomes are decreasing over time with new medications, guidelines etc. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? Response: The study shows that pregnancy outcomes in lupus patients have improved, however they are still worse than non-lupus patients. Thus, further research needs to be done to improve outcomes, and put into guidelines for diagnosis and management like the American College of Rheumatology Reproductive Health Guidelines. I have no disclosures. Citation: Trends in Maternal and Fetal Outcomes Among Pregnant Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the United States: A Cross-sectional Analysis Bella Mehta, MBBS, MS *; Yiming Luo, MD *; Jiehui Xu, MPH; Lisa Sammaritano, MD; Jane Salmon, MD; Michael Lockshin, MD; Susan Goodman, MD; Said Ibrahim, MD, MPH  Ann Intern Med. 2019. DOI: 10.7326/M19-0120 2019 American College of Physicians https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2737824/trends-maternal-fetal-outcomes-among-pregnant-women-systemic-lupus-erythematosus     The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article