RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Is Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis during Pregnancy and after Delivery Predictive for Disease Activity in a Subsequent Pregnancy?
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP jrheum.150565
DO 10.3899/jrheum.150565
A1 Hilal Ince-Askan
A1 Johanna M.W.  Hazes
A1 Radboud J.E.M.  Dolhain
YR 2015
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2015/11/25/jrheum.150565.abstract
AB Objective To determine whether disease activity in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 1 pregnancy is predictive for disease activity in a subsequent pregnancy. Methods In the Pregnancy-induced Amelioration of Rheumatoid Arthritis study, there are prospective data on 27 patients who participated twice. Improvement and deterioration is determined by changes in the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints. Results Only 4 patients (14.8%) had comparable disease courses in both pregnancies, whereas treatment remained mostly similar. In contrast, a flare postpartum after the first pregnancy was predictive for a flare after the second pregnancy (p = 0.003). Conclusion RA disease course in following pregnancies cannot be predicted based upon previous pregnancies. However, a flare postpartum seems to predict subsequent flares.