#VisualAbstract: Trends in Maternal and Fetal Outcomes Among Pregnant Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the United States
1. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors observed that the greater decline in in-hospital maternal mortality was found for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pregnancies compared to non-SLE pregnancies.
2. Despite reductions in in-hospital maternal mortality for SLE pregnancies, the rates still remain high and improvements are needed.
Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)
Study Rundown: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune condition that affects women of child-bearing age. During pregnancy, patients with SLE are at higher maternal and fetal risk of complications due to the nature of this disease. The authors of this study aimed to assess nationwide trends between 1998 to 2015 in the United States regarding maternal and fetal complications among pregnant women with SLE. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to conduct this study. The authors found that there was a significant improvement in in-hospital maternal mortality for both SLE and non-SLE pregnancies over the 18 year period, with the greatest improvements occurring for SLE-related pregnancies. One of the limitations of this study was generalizability, as the data set only contained hospitalized patients and therefore other outpatient information was not incorporated into the study, such as miscarriages or outpatient deliveries.
Click to read the study in Annals of Internal Medicine
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