Lupus may contribute to pregnancy complications

Diseases marked by inflammation of the skin during pregnancy may have negative health impacts for women and their babies according to the findings of a new study. The study of 13,598 Swedish women in their first pregnancy, all singleton pregnancies, found that pre-eclampsia, hypothyroid disease, stroke and infection were more common among women with lupus. Of those in the study, 16% of pregnant women with lupus were diagnosed with pre-eclampsia compared with 5% from the general population. Among the women with subclinical lupus who later developed the condition after pregnancy, pre-eclampsia was found in 26% of women who developed lupus