Doha: Advances in research into pregnancy complications caused by two serious autoimmune diseases were discussed by one of the world’s foremost experts in the field in the fourth instalment of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s (WCMC-Q) Grand Rounds.
Dr Jane Salmon (pictured), Professor of Medicine, WCMC-NY, discussed the discoveries made through her research team’s experiments on mice, which revealed the underlying mechanisms of poor pregnancy outcomes in women with the chronic autoimmune disorders lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome.
Lupus, which primarily affects women, is a disorder in which the immune system damages healthy tissues throughout the body, such as the skin and joints, and sometimes the internal organs.
The precise cause of this often painful and distressing condition is unknown and there is no cure, although there are medicines that can control the symptoms.
Antiphospholipid syndrome is an immune disorder that causes blood clots and is associated with complications in pregnancy. It can occur on its own or in association with other diseases, including lupus. Both conditions can cause serious complications in pregnancy, to the mother and the unborn child.
Dr Salmon, also Professor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, WCMC-NY, and the Collette Kean Research Chair at Hospital for Special Surgery, said: “Until recently, the advice for women with lupus was to not get pregnant because of the concern the disease could flare and lead to serious problems for the mother and the baby, including pregnancy complications such as placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction and complete loss of the pregnancy.
The guidance was to avoid pregnancy but this recommendation was not based on strong data.”
She said pregnant women with lupus had a higher risk of preeclampsia, a condition characterised by high blood pressure that can lead to serious complications and sometimes necessitates premature delivery.
She led a study that followed 700 patients through pregnancies to identify factors that predicted their outcomes.
She said better understanding of the disease has led to new advice that recommends that many patients with lupus can safely carry babies to full term.
The Peninsula
