[Disseminated lupus erythematosus and pregnancy. Apropos of a case]

The authors report a case of second pregnancy in a woman with dermatologically active disseminated lupus erythematosus which was well stabilised on steroid therapy. They stress the need for repeated assays of the complement C3 and C4 fractions and the antinuclear and anti-native DNA antibodies and careful monitoring of the renal function in order to be able to assess the activity of the disease and to evaluate the effectiveness of steroid treatment, which may even be modified on the basis of these parameters. Independent of the degree of visceral involvement, pregnancy in a woman with lupus is always a high risk pregnancy, for the mother, for the foetus in utero and for the neonate, which must be investigated for the presence of transmitted lupus, atrio-ventricular block or even familial lupus, which may not present until later.