Longer duration of lower‐limb symptoms makes cellulitis diagnosis less likely in secondary care

Abstract

Prior studies on other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus have shown that the disease influences rates of preterm birth and pregnancy loss. 2 No statistically significant differences were detected when comparing our study cohort with the general population of women in the US in terms of the rates of miscarriage, 3 C-section, 4 premature baby, 4 stillbirth 5 and perinatal mortality. 5 In addition, baseline HS disease severity was not significantly associated with poorer pregnancy or neonatal outcomes. Thus, our findings on pregnancy outcomes can help providers counsel and reassure concerned pregnant patients with HS regarding pregnancy outcomes. In contrast, compared with rates of gestational diabetes mellitus, 6 gestational hypertension 7 and pre-eclampsia 8 in the US general population, our study cohort had a higher than average rate for each condition, with statistical significance detected for gestational hypertension (P = 0Á022) and pre-eclampsia (P = 0Á017). Therefore, screening for these conditions among pregnant patients with HS is essential. Study limitations include: that it took place at a single academic centre, was retrospective and contained missing data. Lack of systematic follow-up of neonatal charts could have resulted in underestimation of the perinatal mortality rate. Only univariate analysis was conducted; thus, potential confounders have not been controlled for. In summary, our study suggests that HS does not portend an increased risk of poor pregnancy or neonatal outcomes. Large, prospective pregnancy registries are needed to collect data on maternal and neonatal outcomes in patients with HS.