Ankylosing Spondylitis And Pregnancy
In people with psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis disease symptoms improve in pregnancy (8 to 10 women have less arthritis in pregnancy). But that does not happen in most people with ankylosing spondylitis. People that really show the improvement of symptoms in ankylosing spondylitis most likely also have psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease.
The study: A questionnaire was sent to various associations of ankylosing spondylitis of 13 countries were given a total 939 women. The average age of onset of symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is 23 years and 2 of every 10 women surveyed report that the first disease symptoms appeared after becoming pregnant.
Results: During pregnancy the disease:
* Was unchanged in 3 of every 10 women.
* Worsened in 3 of 10 women
* Improved in 4 of every 10 women.
In addition 4 out of 10 women reported they had active ankylosing spondylitis when they became pregnant and 2.5 out of 10 were taking NSAIDs at the time of conception.
Half of the women did exercise or physical therapy during pregnancy.
6 out of 10 women experienced signs of the disease 6 months before having children which occurs more frequently in women with active disease at the time of conception.
It was also observed that the incidence of complications such as rheumatoid spondylitis hands feet knees peripheral joints in general and uveitis was much lower during pregnancy and worse in 6 months postpartum.
With regard to mode of delivery in women with ankylosing spondylitis the results were:
* 10 deliveries ended normally.
* In 10 games into naturally (normal birth)
* Out of 10 cesarean deliveries needed.
It has been found that cesarean section is performed in 12% of all pregnancies in Europe (from the general population with or without spondylitis) which corresponds to 1 in 10 pregnancies and between 14% and 24% in USA (1-2 in 10 pregnancies).