Studying Pregnancy Outcome Risk in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Based on Cluster Analysis

Pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients is a challenge due to the potential maternal and fetal complications. Therefore, a multidisciplinary assessment of disease risk before and during pregnancy is essential to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Our purpose was to (i) define clusters of patients with similar history and laboratory features and determine the associative maternal and perinatal outcomes and (ii) evaluate the risk spectrum of maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancy in SLE patients, represented by our established risk-assessment chart.

Medical records of 119 patients in China were analyzed retrospectively. Significant variables with p < 0.05 were selected. The self-organizing map was used for clustering the data based on historical background and laboratory features.

Clustering was conducted using 21 maternal and perinatal features. Five clusters were recognized, and their prominent maternal manifestations were as follows: cluster 1 (including 27.73% of all patients): preeclampsia and lupus nephritis; cluster 2 (22.69%): oligohydramnios, uterus scar, and femoral head necrosis; cluster 3 (13.45%): upper respiratory tract infection; cluster 4 (15.97%): premature membrane rupture; and cluster 5 (20.17%): no problem.

Pregnancy outcomes in SLE women fell into three categories, namely high risk, moderate risk, and low risk. Present manifestations, besides the medical records, are a potential assessment means for better management of pregnant SLE patients.