[Clinical features of preterm infants born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective analysis].

Objective: To retrospectively characterize clinical features of preterm infants born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods: Clinical data of preterm infants born to mothers with SLE in Peking Union Medical College Hospital over a period of more than 10 years (2000-2012) and preterm babies born to mothers without SLE in the same hospital and during the same time period were collected. Preterm-associated complications in the two groups of babies were comparatively analyzed.
Results: During the time period studied, 128 women with SLE delivered a total of 134 babies, 86 at full-term and 42 at preterm. Of the 42 preterm infants, 4 were diagnosed with neonatal lupus syndrome. Neonatal infection was the most common complication in preterm infants born to SLE mothers, which occurred in 20 cases (47.62%), followed by small for gestational age (28.57%), neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (26.19%), congenital heart disease (14.29%), and neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage (4.76%). In the same time period, 2 308 preterm babies were born to mothers without SLE. In these preemies, 16.81% experienced neonatal infection, 13.21% were small for gestational age, and 5.16% had congenital heart disease. All these parameters were significantly lower than in preterm babies born to mothers with SLE (P<0.05).
Conclusions: SLE preterm offspring seem to be more prone to neonatal infection, small for gestational age and at a higher risk of congenital heart disease as compared to preterm babies from women without SLE.