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  • Evaluation of the risk of anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibody-associated cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus in fetuses of mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus exposed to hydroxychloroquine

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Evaluation of the risk of anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibody-associated cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus in fetuses of mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus exposed to hydroxychloroquine
  1. Peter M Izmirly1,
  2. Mimi Y Kim2,
  3. Carolina Llanos1,
  4. Phuong U Le3,
  5. Marta M Guerra3,
  6. Anca D Askanase1,
  7. Jane E Salmon3,
  8. Jill P Buyon1
  1. 1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
  2. 2Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
  3. 3Department of Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery, Cornell University Medical School, New York, USA
  1. Correspondence to Peter M Izmirly, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, TH-407, New York, NY 10016, USA; Peter.Izmirly{at}nyumc.org

Abstract

Background Based on the potential involvement of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling in the pathogenesis of neonatal lupus (NL), it was hypothesised that fetal exposure to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a TLR inhibitor, might reduce the risk of anti-SSA/Ro/SSB/La antibody-associated cardiac manifestations of NL (cardiac-NL).

Methods Cardiac-NL children (N=50) and controls (N=151) were drawn from the following overlapping pregnancy studies: Research Registry for NL; PR Interval and Dexamethasone Evaluation in Cardiac-NL; and Predictors of Pregnancy Outcomes: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Pregnancies met the following inclusion criteria: documentation of maternal anti-SSA/Ro/SSB/La antibodies at pregnancy, confirmation of medication use and child's outcome, a diagnosis of SLE before pregnancy and birth by 31 December 2007.

Results Seven (14%) of the cardiac-NL children were exposed to HCQ compared with 56 (37%) of the controls (p=0.002; OR 0.28; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.63). Cases and controls were similar with respect to demographic and antibody status. Multivariable analysis adjusting for birth year, maternal race/ethnicity, antibody status, non-fluorinated steroid use and prior cardiac-NL risk yielded an OR associated with HCQ use of 0.46 (95% CI 0.18 to 1.18; p=0.10).

Conclusion This case–control study suggests that, in mothers with SLE with anti-SSA/Ro/SSB/La antibodies, exposure to HCQ during pregnancy may decrease the risk of fetal development of cardiac-NL. Prospective studies are needed for confirmation.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ard.2009.119263

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    Footnotes

    • Funding PMI and CL were supported by the SLE Lupus Foundation Inc. In addition, this work was supported by Maternal Autoantibodies: Pathogenesis of Neonatal Lupus (NIH Grant No. AR-42455, MERIT status), the Research Registry for Neonatal Lupus (supported by NIAMS Contract No. AR-4-2271), PR Interval and Dexamethasone Evaluation in Cardiac-NL (NIH Grant No. AR-046265) and a Kirkland Center Grant to JPB. Predictors of Pregnancy Outcomes: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus was supported by NIH Grant No. RO1 AR49772 to JES.

    • Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the IRB.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.