Psoriasis and pregnancy outcomes: a nationwide population-based study

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Public Health

Background:

• Previous studies on pregnancy outcomes in women with psoriasis relied on limited hospital data or focused only on maternal, not infant, outcomes.
• Existing research lacks comprehensive analysis of infant-specific outcomes in relation to maternal psoriasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if maternal psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• To compare outcomes in mothers with psoriasis against a control group of unaffected mothers using nationwide population data.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide population-based study included 1463 mothers with psoriasis and 11,704 controls.
• Mothers with psoriasis were categorized into severe (received photochemotherapy or systemic therapy) and mild groups.
• Conditional logistic regression analyzed risks for low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, cesarean section, small for gestational age, and preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Main Results:

• Women with severe psoriasis had a 1.40 times higher odds of LBW infants compared to mothers without psoriasis.
• Mothers with mild psoriasis showed no statistically significant increase in risks for LBW, preterm birth, cesarean section, small for gestational age, or preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Conclusions:

• Severe psoriasis during pregnancy is linked to an elevated risk of delivering low birth weight infants.
• Mild psoriasis was not associated with increased risks of adverse birth outcomes in this nationwide study.