Increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in pregnancy-induced hypertension: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study

Pregnancy Complications and Risk of Autoimmune Disease in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Autoimmune diseases disproportionately impact women, and pregnancy-related events could play an underlying role. We summarized literature on the association between pregnancy complications and future risk of autoimmune disease. Materials and Methods: We systematically searched Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science from database inception to January 2024 for observational studies that reported on history of pregnancy complications (exposure), risk of newly diagnosed autoimmune disease (outcome), and included a comparison group of unaffected women. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, and rated risk of bias. We estimated pooled risk ratios (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for pregnancy complications with ≥3 identified studies using DerSimonian and Laird random effects models and otherwise summarized findings following synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM). Results: We screened 7,763 citations and included 25 studies (12 cohort, 13 case-control). Most studies were from Denmark (n = 10) or the United Kingdom (n = 5), with sample sizes ranging from 138 to >1.5 million women (median = 1,304 women). Risk of bias was moderate, serious, and critical in 10, 13, and 2 studies, respectively, with quality adversely impacted by potential unmeasured confounding. Meta-analyses indicated an elevated risk of autoimmune disease following preeclampsia (adjusted RR: 1.61, 95% CI: 0.98-2.65, I2 = 90.0%) and small fetal/infant size (adjusted OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.16-3.52, I2 = 28.4%), and possibly spontaneous pregnancy loss (adjusted RR: 1.58, 95% CI: 0.66-3.79, I2 = 99.4%) and stillbirth (adjusted RR: 2.18, 95% CI: 0.65-7.34, I2 = 99.2%), although estimates were often imprecise. SWiM findings generally supported a positive association between pregnancy complications and autoimmune disease; there were insufficient studies for gestational diabetes, placental disorders, and preterm birth. Conclusions: History of certain pregnancy complications may be a novel risk factor for autoimmune disease in women. Additional high-quality research with geographically diverse data sources would be valuable.

Pregnancy complications and autoimmune diseases in women: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy complications might lead to the development of autoimmune diseases in women. This review aims to summarise studies evaluating the association between pregnancy complications and the development of autoimmune diseases in women.

METHODS

Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched up to January 2024. Nineteen pregnancy complications and 15 autoimmune conditions were included. Title, abstract, full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two reviewers independently. Data were synthesised using narrative and quantitative methods. Results were presented using odds ratios (OR), relative risks (RR), incidence rate ratios (IRR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Thirty studies were included. One study reported composite exposure to pregnancy complications had a risk of any autoimmune disease RR 3.20 (2.90-3.51) compared to women without pregnancy complications. Women with hyperemesis gravidarum had a higher risk of developing coeliac disease (n = 1) IRR 1.98 (1.27-2.94), Crohn's disease (n = 1) IRR 1.61 (1.25-2.04), psoriasis (n = 1) IRR 1.33 (1.01-1.71), and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 2) IRR 1.35 (1.09-1.64). Miscarriage associated with subsequent diagnosis of Sjogren syndrome (n = 2) IRR 1.33 (1.06-2.81) and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 4) OR 1.11 (1.04-1.20). Gestational hypertension/preeclampsia was linked with the development of systemic sclerosis (n = 2) IRR 2.60 (1.10-4.60) and T1DM (n = 2) IRR 2.37 (2.09-2.68). Stillbirth associated with composite autoimmune conditions (n = 2) RR 5.82 (95% CI 4.87-6.81) and aIRR 1.25 (1.12-1.40). Postpartum psychosis was associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (n = 1) aIRR2.26 (1.61-2.90).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with pregnancy complications subsequently had a higher risk of being diagnosed with autoimmune conditions. Whether this is due to pre-existing undiagnosed health conditions or being causally linked to pregnancy complications is not known.

The Pathogenesis and Influencing Factors of Adult Hypertension Based on Structural Equation Scanning

Explore the pathogenesis and influencing factors of adult hypertension based on structural equation scanning. Using a multistage random sampling method, randomly select 2 community health service centers in each administrative area of a certain city and conduct a sample survey of residents in the community. According to the predetermined sample size n, multiply by 1.3 (1.3n) to draw a sample. Community doctors and medical students who have been uniformly trained form an investigation team draw up a questionnaire by consulting the literature, seek expert opinions, and then make changes based on the questions in the preinvestigation. Experiment result shows that the average systolic blood pressure of the experimental subjects was 126.13 + 15.36 mmHg and the average diastolic blood pressure was 79.52 + 8.81 mmHg; males are higher than females and increase with age. The prevalence rate of hyperemia is 26.3%, and the prevalence rate of prehypertension among the survey subjects is 55.4%; that of males (62.6%) is higher than that of females (49.2%). The prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension was 7.5%, and that of men (6.9%) was lower than that of women (7.9%). The awareness rate of hypertension was 66.5%, and the treatment rate of hypertension was 62.7%; the control rate of hypertension was 13.2%, and the control rate of hypertension treatment was 25.7%; all the abovementioned rates are higher for women than for men, and they all tend to increase with age which proved that being overweight is a risk factor for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and family history of hypertension are risk factors for hypertension. There is a positive correlation between hypertension and dyslipidemia.

Association Between Preeclampsia Risk and Fine Air Pollutants and Acidic Gases: A Cohort Analysis in Taiwan

Background: Fine air pollutant particles have been reported to be associated with risk of preeclampsia. The association between air pollutant exposure and preeclampsia risk in heavily air polluted Taiwan warrants investigation.

Methods: We combined data from Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database (NHIRD) and Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Database. Women aged 16–55 years were followed from January 1, 2000, until appearance of ICD-9 coding of preeclampsia withdrawal from the NHI program, or December 31, 2013. Daily concentration of NOx, NO, NO₂, and CO was calculated by Kriging method. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used for risk assessment.

Results: For NOx, Relative to Quartile [Q] 1 concentrations, the Q2 (adjusted hazard ratio adjusted = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.50–3.22), Q3 (aHR = 7.28, 95% CI = 4.78–11.0), and Q4 (aHR = 23.7, 95% CI = 13.7–41.1) concentrations were associated with a significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk. Similarly, for NO, relative to Q1 concentrations, the Q2 (aHR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.26–2.63), Q3 (aHR = 7.53, 95% CI = 5.12–11.0), and Q4 (aHR = 11.1, 95% CI = 6.72–18.3) concentrations were correlated with significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk. Furthermore, for NO₂, relative to Q1 concentration, the Q2 (aHR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.37–2.90), Q3 (aHR = 6.15, 95% CI = 3.95–9.57), and Q4 (aHR = 32.7, 95% CI = 19.7–54.3) concentrations also associated with a significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk.

Conclusion: Women exposed to higher NO_X, NO, NO₂, and CO concentrations demonstrated higher preeclampsia incidence.

ATP release drives heightened immune responses associated with hypertension

The cause of most hypertensive disease is unclear, but inflammation appears critical in disease progression. However, how elevated blood pressure initiates inflammation is unknown, as are the effects of high blood pressure on innate and adaptive immune responses. We now report that hypertensive mice have increased T cell responses to antigenic challenge and develop more severe T cell-mediated immunopathology. A root cause for this is hypertension-induced erythrocyte adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) release, leading to an increase in plasma ATP levels, which begins soon after the onset of hypertension and stimulates P2X7 receptors on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), increasing APC expression of CD86. Hydrolyzing ATP or blocking the P2X7 receptor eliminated hypertension-induced T cell hyperactivation. In addition, pharmacologic or genetic blockade of P2X7 receptor activity suppressed the progression of hypertension. Consistent with the results in mice, we also found that untreated human hypertensive patients have significantly elevated plasma ATP levels compared with treated hypertensive patients or normotensive controls. Thus, a hypertension-induced increase in extracellular ATP triggers augmented APC and T cell function and contributes to the immune-mediated pathologic changes associated with hypertensive disease.

Artificial intelligence-assisted prediction of preeclampsia: Development and external validation of a nationwide health insurance dataset of the BPJS Kesehatan in Indonesia

Background

We developed and validated an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted prediction of preeclampsia applied to a nationwide health insurance dataset in Indonesia.

Methods

The BPJS Kesehatan dataset have been preprocessed using a nested case-control design into preeclampsia/eclampsia (n = 3318) and normotensive pregnant women (n = 19,883) from all women with one pregnancy. The dataset provided 95 features consisting of demographic variables and medical histories started from 24 months to event and ended by delivery as the event. Six algorithms were compared by area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) with a subgroup analysis by time to the event. We compared our model to similar prediction models from systematically reviewed studies. In addition, we conducted a text mining analysis based on natural language processing techniques to interpret our modeling results.

Findings

The best model consisted of 17 predictors extracted by a random forest algorithm. Nine∼12 months to the event was the period that had the best AUROC in external validation by either geographical (0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88–0.89) or temporal split (0.86, 95% CI 0.85–0.86). We compared this model to prediction models in seven studies from 869 records in PUBMED, EMBASE, and SCOPUS. This model outperformed the previous models in terms of the precision, sensitivity, and specificity in all validation sets.

Interpretation

Our low-cost model improved preliminary prediction to decide pregnant women that will be predicted by the models with high specificity and advanced predictors.

Funding

This work was supported by grant no. MOST108-2221-E-038-018 from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan.

Clinical outcomes and predictors of maternal and fetal complications in pregnancies of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

INTRODUCTION

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) mostly affects women during their childbearing years. Fertility is preserved in SLE patients, but pregnancy is often characterized by a high number of maternal and fetal complications. Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) have been widely studied over the last decades and several investigators have focused on the potential clinical and serological predictors of maternal and fetal complications. Areas covered: In this review, we analyzed maternal and fetal complications in SLE patients and predictors of APO. Active disease in the 6 months before conception, lupus nephritis, anti-phospholipid (aPL), anti-SSA/Ro and/or anti-SSB/La antibodies have been identified as the most consistent predictors of maternal and fetal complications to date. However, molecular mechanisms and underlying immunological pathways involved in APO still remain elusive. Expert opinion: Difficulties in assessing prevalence and predictors of APO in SLE patients are due to lack of uniformity in the definitions and methods used in the different studies. In addition, some maternal and fetal complications are difficult to diagnose and to differentiate from each other. Preconception counseling is paramount to prevent APO, and it should consider four main factors: disease activity/lupus nephritis, safety of drugs, aPL, anti-SSA/Ro, and/or anti-SSB/La antibodies.

Pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia as a Risk Factor of Noninfectious Uveitis Among Postdelivery Women

PURPOSE

We sought to analyze the incidence and risk of noninfectious uveitis (NIU) among postdelivery women with a history of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PEE).

DESIGN

Population-based retrospective matched cohort study.

METHODS

All participant data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Two thousand seventy-three postdelivery women ≥20 years of age were diagnosed with PEE between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2012 and were included in the study. We traced the occurrence of NIU during 5 years of follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of NIU with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and adjudication by an ophthalmologist.

RESULTS

NIU occurred in 14 of 2073 (0.7%) postdelivery women with PEE. The incidence rate of NIU was 1.5 and 0.5 per 1000 person-years among postdelivery women with and without PEE, respectively (incidence rate ratio 2.96 [95% confidence interval 1.48-5.90]; P = .002). Postdelivery women with PEE demonstrated a significant increase in the cumulative incidence of NIU compared with those without PEE (P = .001). The risk of the occurrence of NIU was significantly higher in the PEE group than in the non-PEE group (adjusted hazard ratio 2.96 [95% CI 1.48-5.92]; P = .002) after adjusting for age, income, urbanization, and comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to substantiate an association between PEE and NIU. Our results suggest that PEE could be a potential risk factor for the occurrence of NIU among postdelivery women.

Maternal pregnancy-induced hypertension increases the subsequent risk of transient tachypnea of the newborn: A nationwide population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) and to identify the predictive risk factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Pregnant women with a newly diagnosed PIH (between 2000 and 2013) from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) were compared with a matched (with respect to age and year of delivery) cohort of pregnant women without PIH. The occurrence of TTN was evaluated in both cohorts.

RESULTS

Among the 23.3 million individuals registered in the NHIRD, 29,013 patients with PIH and 116,052 matched controls were identified. According to a multivariate analysis, PIH (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.69-2.03, p < 0.0001), age ≥ 30 years (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.26-1.51, p < 0.0001), primiparity (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.24-1.5, p < 0.0001), preterm birth (OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 3.09-3.75, p < 0.0001), multiple births (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 2.24-2.89, p < 0.0001), and cesarean section (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.56-1.88, p < 0.0001) were independent risk factors for the development of TTN.

CONCLUSION

Women with PIH have an increased risk of having infants who develop TTN compared with those without PIH. Additionally, age ≥30 years, primiparity, preterm birth, multiple births, and cesarean section were independent risk factors for the development of TTN.

Safety issues and recommendations for successful pregnancy outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) primarily affects women of childbearing age. One of the major changes in SLE focuses on the timing of a successful pregnancy. In the past, pregnancy was strongly discouraged in SLE, especially in the presence of risk factors such as nephritis, use of immunosuppressive therapies, or positivity of specific autoantibodies such as anti-phospholipids and anti-Ro/SSA, La/SSBA. Thanks to our better knowledge on the disease and management, pregnancy success rates in SLE patients have significantly improved care by the a multidisciplinary team which fosters a successful pregnancy with minimal complications for the mother and fetus when the disease is inactive or in remission. This approach is based on a counseling phase before pregnancy, to assess SLE activity phase, specific medications, risk factors, and continues through pregnancy and lactation with significantly improved pregnancy outcomes. Further, we can now better define the risk of disease flares during pregnancy based on a better understanding of the changes in maternal immunity and its relationship with SLE-associated autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. There is wide consensus that women with SLE can have successful pregnancies as long as conception is planned in a phase of inactive disease, and when the patient is closely managed by a rheumatologist, high-risk OB/GYN, neonatologist, and other medical specialists as indicated. Preconception counseling is essential to assess the risk of both fetal and maternal complications as well as identify life-threatening contraindications. Particular attention should be used in those SLE cases that have nephritis, APS or positivity for aPL, pulmonary hypertension, and positive anti-Ro/SSA or anti-La/SSB antibodies. In conclusion, the use of specific guidelines on the management of SLE before and during pregnancy and lactation, and a better understanding of the use of immunosuppressive therapies have significantly increased pregnancy success.

Avoiding excessive pregnancy weight gain to obtain better pregnancy outcomes in Taiwan

Pregnancy weight gain may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The article aims to explore the relationship between weight change and pregnancy outcome in the Taiwanese pregnant women.The retrospective cohort study enrolled women with vertex singleton pregnancy at University-associated Hospital between 2011 and 2014. Pregnancy weight change was separated into 3 groups, based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines: below (n = 221); within (n = 544); and above (n = 382). Analysis of variance, χ tests, generalized linear models, and logistic regression models were used for statistical comparisons.Pregnant women with weight change above IOM guidelines had a significant increase in both maternal and perinatal complications compared with normal controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.98; P = .043; OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-1.87; P = .049, respectively). This finding was not found in pregnant women with weight gain below IOM guidelines. Moreover, age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.15; P = .0011), pre-pregnancy weight (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.09; P = .0008), pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI; OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.30; P < .0001), weight at the time of delivery (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.13; P < .0001) and BMI at the time of delivery (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.39; P < .0001), all contributed to increased maternal complications but not perinatal complications, whereas parity (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.12-0.41; P < .0001) and gestational age (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.62; P < .001) were associated with fewer maternal complications.Our study reconfirmed that for Taiwanese pregnant women, the approximate pregnancy weight gain recommended by IOM in 2009 was associated with the fewest maternal and perinatal complications. If approximate pregnancy weight gain cannot be attained, even less weight gain during pregnancy is still reasonable without significantly and adversely affecting maternal and perinatal outcomes in Taiwan.