Risk factors for pregnancy morbidity in women with antiphospholipid syndrome

Abstract

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) increases the risk of obstetric complications, but risk factors for pregnancy morbidity in women with APS remain incompletely characterized. This retrospective study included pregnant women with APS and a control group without APS admitted to Peking University People's Hospital between January 2013 and September 2019. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (fetal loss, premature birth, fetal growth restriction [FGR], preeclampsia and neonatal death). We included 64 pregnancies in 59 patients with APS (age, 32.3 ± 4.3 years) and 256 pregnancies in 256 women without APS (age, 30.4 ± 3.3 years). Compared with the control group, the APS group had higher incidence rates of preeclampsia (10.9 % vs. 2.3 %, P = 0.002), premature rupture of membranes (17.2 % vs. 3.9 %, P < 0.001), postpartum hemorrhage (23.4 % vs. 4.3 %, P < 0.001), fetal loss (4.7 % vs. 0.8 %, P = 0.024) and premature delivery at ≤34 weeks (7.8 % vs. 2.3 %, P = 0.047). The incidence rates of hypertension during pregnancy, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes, oligohydramnios and FGR were similar in both groups. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that three or more prior spontaneous miscarriages (odds ratio [OR], 6.162; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.271-29.882; P = 0.024) and double-positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies (OR, 4.024; 95 %CI, 1.025-15.794; P = 0.046) were independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. APS increases the risks of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes during pregnancy. Three or more spontaneous miscarriages and double-positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies are risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with APS.

Keywords: Antiphospholipid antibodies; Antiphospholipid syndrome; Pregnancy outcome; Risk factors.