EC Paediatrics

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune multi-system disorder with a propensity to affect women of childbearing age. Optimization of disease control preconceptionally is paramount with six months of disease quiescence recommended.

Objective: The study's main goal was finding out the neonatal and maternal outcomes of pregnancies having SLE.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted at the Duhok Obstetrics and Gynaecology Teaching Hospital and the Kurdistan Private Hospital in Iraqi Kurdistan between October 2017 and October 2023. There were twenty-six pregnant women with SLE in the study. Demographic information such as gestational age, gender, birth weight, Apgar scores and cuteness involvement were among the data gathered from newborns.

The data collected from mothers with SLE included the baseline features and obstetrical outcomes such as maternal agr, parity, onset of diagnosis, obstetrics outcome and mode of delivery.

Statistical Analysis: Data were collected, processed, and descriptive statistics were shown as numbers and percentages for nominal variables.

Results: Twenty-six pregnant women with SLE gave birth to 26 neonates between October 2017 and October 2023 these babies were included in the study. In 20 cases (76.9%) the gestational age was between (32 and 36) weeks. In 19 (73%) cases, the birth weight fell between 1,200 and 2,000 kg. The gender of the newborn baby was male in 16 (61.5%) of the cases. Six cases had an Apgar score at one minute of less than 7. Cutaneous involvement was only in 2 cases (7.6%). The SLE patients' mothers ranged in age from 24 to 34 years old. There were 14 (53.8%) multigravida cases and 12 (46%) primigravida cases. Higher problems were linked to pregnancies among mothers with SLE, including preeclampsia in 14 cases (53.8%) and gestational diabetes in 4 cases (15.3%). In 18 (69.3%) of the instances, a caesarean birth occurred.

Conclusion: For a woman who has had SLE in the past, pregnancy counselling is required. Women with SLE have poorer obstetrical and newborn outcomes compared to the general population.

 Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Maternal; Newborn; Outcome

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