Skip Navigation

Rheumatology 2008 47(Supplement 3):iii32-iii34; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ken149
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Motta, M.
Right arrow Articles by Cimaz, R.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Motta, M.
Right arrow Articles by Cimaz, R.
Related Collections
Right arrow Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Autoimmunity
Right arrow Pregnancy and Rheumatic Diseases
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Follow-up of children exposed antenatally to immunosuppressive drugs

M. Motta1, A. Tincani2, P. L. Meroni3 and R. Cimaz4

1Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Children's Hospital of Brescia, 2Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, 3IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, University of Milano and 4Pediatric Rheumatology, Meyer Children's Hospital and University of Florence, Italy.

Correspondence to: M. Motta, Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Children's Hospital of Brescia, Pzz. le Spedali Civili – 25123 Brescia, Italy. E-mail: lvmott{at}tin.it


  Abstract

Antenatal exposure to immunosuppressive drugs given to mothers during pregnancy to treat autoimmune diseases raises some questions about the fetal development and the long-term outcome of children. Studies in humans showed that glucocorticoids (GCs), CsA and HCQ do not seem to increase the risk of congenital abnormalities; in contrast, cyclophosphamide, LEF and MTX are contraindicated during pregnancy. The risk of gestational complications, including pre-term delivery, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and low birth weight (LBW), is higher in autoimmune diseases rather than in the general population and probably this finding is related to both maternal disorder and immunosuppressive therapy. Recently, results of our studies suggest that immunosuppressants given during pregnancy do not impair significantly the development of immunity in exposed children. Moreover, preliminary data on neurodevelopmental outcome seem to exclude a causative role of in utero exposure to immunosuppressive agents on the cognitive impairment observed in some of these children; however, our data need to be confirmed with further observations.

KEY WORDS: Pregnancy, Autoimmune disease, Immunosuppressive drugs, Children

Submitted 28 February 2008; Accepted 27 March 2008


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
M. Cutolo, M. Matucci-Cerinic, M. Lockshin, and M. Ostensen
Introduction: new trends in pregnancy and rheumatic diseases
Rheumatology, June 1, 2008; 47(suppl_3): iii1 - iii1.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.