At-term live births possible in pregnant women with vasculitis

Women with vasculitis who get pregnant can deliver live births at term, although flares or hospitalization due to vasculitis may occur during pregnancy, according to a study.

This study utilized the Vasculitis Pregnancy Registry (VPREG), which is embedded within the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network, an international online research infrastructure. Any pregnant women diagnosed with vasculitis can self-enrol.

Upon enrolment, women were invited to complete an online survey at study entry, once per trimester, and postpartum. The authors reported descriptive statistics in this study.

Some 147 women with 149 pregnancies enrolled in VPREG from 16 countries between 2015 and 2022. The authors included data on 78 pregnancies with known outcomes in this analysis.

On average, women had low levels of vasculitis-related pain (scale 0–10, median 2) during pregnancy and preserved feelings of wellness (scale 0–10, median 3). Thirty-six percent of participants said their vasculitis was active during pregnancy.

Fourteen women had to be hospitalized during pregnancy outside of delivery. Of these, four cited active vasculitis as the indication. Majority of the women (n=54/73, 74 percent) were prescribed medications for vasculitis during pregnancy.

Of the pregnancies, 76 (97 percent) resulted in live births, with 64 percent delivered vaginally, while 21 percent had a preterm delivery.

“These data are useful to rheumatologists and patients to inform and facilitate discussions about reproductive health and vasculitis,” the authors said.