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Lupus in pregnancy

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease mostly of an autoimmune nature that affects the connective tissue of the body. During pregnancy, the process involves the placenta and fetal tissue. In the pathogenesis of disease is a gross violation of the immune system leading to destruction of healthy cells. Sick more often women of childbearing age, so pregnancy against this disease is quite common. Also, during pregnancy lupus may occur primarily.

Peculiarities of lupus during pregnancy

During pregnancy there is a shift of hormonal balance in a woman's body that is often the impetus for the development of lupus. Conversely, women with already diagnosed lupus disease can go into remission, but some time after childbirth, as a rule, the state is returned to the former. Or the disease may rapidly progress in the form of residual post-Natal factors: nephropathy, sepsis.

The onset of pregnancy in women complicates the course of the disease, which poses a real threat to the life of the mother and fetus. Women diagnosed with lupus at times increases the risk of complications significantly more often births happen prematurely, exfoliate the placenta, leading to fetal death. Higher risk of low birth weight and retarded children. Late toxicosis are observed much more frequently and are much harder.

For systemic lupus erythematosus characteristic hematological disorders that can be the cause of bleeding in the sequence and the early postpartum period. Children born from mothers of patients with lupus, the disease is usually not made and they develop according to age. But in the blood, they have lupus placental factor that appears in the fetus from approximately 3-4 months of fetal development and disappear upon reaching 6 months of age of the child. Almost half of the children are identified after birth, heart disease varying severity. After the birth of children can have symptoms of transient hemorrhagic diathesis, the occurrence of lupus elements on the skin, due to the presence in the blood of lupus factor. In most cases these effects disappear over time.

Management of pregnancy in women with systemic lupus should be carried out individually. The question of the continuation or interruption is solved by a gynecologist in conjunction with a therapist andrheumatologist. Especially taking into account the manifestation of symptoms in each case, the results of the survey, the General condition of the pregnant woman. And the woman, and the physician must be prepared for any outcome.

If the disease is in the acute stage, when there is damage to the kidneys and heart, the pregnancy is clearly contraindicated. Can be preserved only in patients with subacute and chronic course of the disease and a long-term, at least six months, absence of clinical and laboratory manifestations.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict the behavior of lupus during pregnancy. A third of women, the disease is exacerbated, and another one third may not occur any change in the course of the disease, other women pregnancy can lead to relief of symptoms. And almost every seventh pregnant women with a diagnosis of lupus develop severe complications that threaten the life of the mother and fetus.

Diagnosis lupus during pregnancy

If a pregnant woman symptoms of lupus are manifested as primary, urgent consultation of the doctor-rheumatologist, who on the basis of clinical examination and complaints of women determines the further tactics of examination. To clarify the diagnosis used methods and studies based on the condition of the patient.

Treatment of lupus during pregnancy

Some drugs have adverse effects on fetal development, so the treatment of lupus during pregnancy has its own characteristics. Some drugs is indicated only in life-threatening conditions. It is very important that the pregnant received adequate necessary treatment with minimal risk to the child. In any case it is impossible to stop the course of therapy, as this may lead to relapse. Special attention should be paid to the intrauterine condition of the fetus.

A pregnant woman should be under strict constant supervision of a gynecologist, a rheumatologist and a therapist. As a high risk of premature birth, better if the woman is under observation in a specialized clinic, where the care of premature infants.