Objective. The use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in pregnancy remains controversial. The recent demonstration that HCQ passes across the placenta, with cord blood concentrations nearly identical to those found in maternal blood, emphasizes the need for careful evaluation of pregnancies in women receiving HCQ. However, only small series of HCQ-treated pregnant women have been reported, and most of these studies had no control group. We now report our experience with 133 pregnancies in women being treated with HCQ, resulting in 117 live births. Results in the HCQ group are compared with those in a control group.Methods. One hundred thirty-three consecutive pregnancies in 90 women treated with 200 mg of HCQ either twice daily (122 pregnancies) or once daily (11 pregnancies) were studied. These pregnancies were compared with 70 consecutive pregnancies in 53 women with similar disorders who did not receive HCQ. Electrocardiography was performed in 47 children of mothers treated with HCQ and in 45 children in the control group.Results. Eighty-eight percent of pregnancies in the HCQ group and 84% of those in the control group ended successfully with a live birth. The outcomes of pregnancy were not statistically different between groups. One child in each group died of causes related to prematurity. Three malformations were observed in the HCQ group (1 hypospadias, 1 craniostenosis, and 1 cardiac malformation) versus 4 in the control group. On the electrocardiograms, the PR interval and the corrected QT interval were not statistically different between groups. No visual, hearing, growth, or developmental abnormalities were reported in any of the children at the last follow-up (ages 12-108 months; mean age 26 months).Conclusion. Our findings support preliminary evidence for the safety of HCQ therapy during pregnancy. This treatment probably should be maintained throughout pregnancy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Objective. Aside from congenital heart block (CHB), sinus bradycardia and prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval have been reported in infants born to mothers with anti-SSA antibodies. To assess the pathologic nature of these manifestations, this study focused on electrocardiographic (EKG) variations in these children, comparing them with findings in a control group.Methods. We studied 165 consecutive pregnancies in 106 anti-SSA-positive women with connective tissue diseases (CTDs). EKGs obtained on 58 children of this group were compared with those obtained on 85 infants born to mothers with CTD who were negative for both anti-SSA and anti-SSB.Results. No statistically significant difference was seen between the 2 study groups with regard to gestational age, prematurity, birth weight, age of the children
Background: Mothers with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies who have had a previous fetus with congenital heart block (CHB) have a risk of recurrence estimated to be up to 16%. Objective: To improve the management of these "high risk patients" by determining (a) whether or not prophylactic treatment is efficient; (b) whether or not fluorinated steroids (betametasone and dexamethasone) that do cross the placenta in an active form are safe for the fetus; and (c) which prophylactic treatment should be used. Methods: Retrospective study performed on seven mothers sent to a university hospital owing to a past history of one (six mothers) or two children (one mother) with CHB. Results: 13 subsequent pregnancies occurred. No CHB was observed. All four pregnancies in women treated with 10 mg/day prednisone were uneventful. Three pregnancies in women receiving no steroids resulted in two early spontaneous abortions and one live birth. The six pregnancies in women treated with dexamethasone (4-5 mg/day) ended in one early and one late spontaneous abortion, two stillbirths, and two live births with intrauterine growth restriction and mild adrenal insufficiency. A histological study of one stillbirth disclosed intrauterine growth restriction and marked adrenal hypoplasia. Conclusion: Adverse obstetric outcomes were often seen here and major concerns have been raised by paediatricians about the safety of fluorinated steroids, owing to the results of animals studies, retrospective data, and randomised trials. Because fluorinated steroids have not been shown to improve prophylactic treatment of CHB in pregnant women at high risk, their use is questionable.
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