Women of childbearing age with inflammatory rheumatic disease: Characterizing patterns of care with a special focus on pregnancies
Description
- Inflammatory rheumatic diseases afflict many women of childbearing age. Health care in these women pose – in many regards – an important challenge for risk management.
First, certain drugs used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases can cause severe birth defects. Women planning to become pregnant require adjustments to antirheumatic treatment several months before they start trying to conceive. Treatment during pregnancy is important because periods of active disease can lead to complications and negatively affect the mother’s health but careful risk-benefit assessment is warranted. Finally, patients must be monitored closely following delivery because of potential flare-ups during the postpartum period and the risk of certain drugs during breastfeeding.
Current evidence shows that successful and safe pregnancies in women with rheumatic disease are possible if risks are minimized with appropriate planning and careful management of the disease.
However, little is currently known on health care among women of childbearing age with rheumatic disease in Germany and in particular before, during and after pregnancy.
To fill this research gap this project aims to
1) describe health care pathways and treatment among women of childbearing age with rheumatic disease, including the treatment of comorbidities,
2) characterize treatment strategies in pregnant women with rheumatic disease and identify determinants of adequate vs. potentially inadequate health care and
3) assess pregnancy outcomes in these women as well as health conditions in their children.
Funding period
- Begin: April 2020
End: March 2023
Sponsor
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Contact
Project coordination (national)
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum