Placental pathology in systemic lupus erythematosus and phospholipid antibody syndrome

Fetal loss is increased in women who meet the Arthritis and Rheumatism Association criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in women who have phospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). There are multiple causes for this fetal loss, and in patients with SLE, disease activity appears to be an important contributing factor. In APS patients, it appears that some individuals will experience recurrent fetal loss and will continuously fail to complete pregnancy naturally. Placental examination has helped to elucidate some of the pathology that may be contribute to this fetal loss and our studies have shown that the same pathology is repeated in subsequent pregnancies. Placental examination in SLE or APS patients with recurrent fetal loss is vital if we are going to be able to determine appropriate therapy to prevent fetal loss.