Placental malperfusion and angiogenesis-related proteins are associated with small-for-gestational-age in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Placental maternal vascular malperfusion lesions were more common in lupus pregnancies with growth-restricted infants
Placental malperfusion and angiogenesis-related proteins are associated with small-for-gestational-age in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Although systemic lupus erythematosus (systemic lupus erythematosus) pregnancy frequently results in small for gestational age (small for gestational age) infants, the understanding of underlying mechanisms is limited.
We aimed to identify specific histological patterns of placental injury in small for gestational age in systemic lupus erythematosus and to explore whether an altered balance of angiogenesis-related proteins precedes this outcome.
We prospectively followed 83 systemic lupus erythematosus and 67 control pregnancies.
placental blood-flow damage was far more common in these growth-restricted pregnancies
Systemic lupus erythematosus patients remain at risk of having an small for gestational age infant, and their placentas and infants had lower weight compared to controls.
Women with maternal vascular malperfusion gave birth to infants with lower birth weight compared to women without these lesions.
The ratio of sFlt-1:placental growth factor in the third trimester was elevated in women with systemic lupus erythematosus with an small for gestational age infant.
In a prospective cohort of well-controlled systemic lupus erythematosus patients with low disease activity delivering mostly at term, small for gestational age and small placentas remain common.
The increased prevalence of placental malperfusion lesions together with an altered balance of pro- and anti-angiogenic proteins suggests that the role of vascular and angiogenesis-related factors should be further explored in relation to small for gestational age in systemic lupus erythematosus pregnancy.