Key clinical point: Pregnant women with vs without rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their infants should be closely monitored prenatally and during the year after delivery as they are at a higher risk for rehospitalization within 2 years and more likely to require intensive prenatal or neonatal care.
Major finding: Women with vs without RA required more intensive prenatal care (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.46; 95% CI 1.33-1.60) and had a higher risk for postpartum non-pregnancy rehospitalization <2 years after delivery (aRR 1.33; 95% CI 1.13-1.56). Infants of women with vs without RA had a higher risk for neonatal intensive care unit admission (aRR 1.89; 95% CI 1.56-2.30) and rehospitalization <2 years after birth (aRR 1.22; 95% CI 1.01-1.46).
Study details: This population-based retrospective cohort study included pregnant women with (n = 1223) and without (n = 12,293) RA and those with (n = 1354) and without (n = 13,751) systemic lupus erythematosus.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, US National Institutes of Health. The authors did not report conflicts of interest.
Source: Singh N et al. Birth outcomes and re-hospitalizations among pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus and their offspring. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) . 2023 (Jan 10). Doi: 10.1002/acr.25087