Brief Report: Successful pregnancies but a higher risk of preterm births in patients with systemic sclerosis: An Italian multicenter study

Objective To assess fetal and maternal outcomes in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Prospectively collected data on 99 women with SSc from 25 Italian centers were analyzed retrospectively. Women with SSc were observed during 109 pregnancies (from 2000 to 2011), and outcomes were compared to those in the general obstetric population (total of 3,939 deliveries). The maternal age at conception was a mean ± SD 31.8 ± 5.3 years, and the median disease duration at conception was 60 months (range 2–193 months). Results SSc patients, compared to the general obstetric population, had a significantly increased frequency of preterm deliveries (25% versus 12%) and severe preterm deliveries (