UC San Diego

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine whether prenatal depression interacts with autoimmune conditions to further increase the risk of preterm birth or preeclampsia.

Study design

Our sample included 3034 pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn's disease (CD) or psoriasis, or controls that were prospectively enrolled into MothertoBaby pregnancy studies. We estimated the independent and joint effects of the three autoimmune conditions and depression on the select outcomes.

Results

We found an increased risk of preterm birth among women with RA (2.10; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.54, 2.87), CD (1.87; 95% CI 1.25, 2.81) or psoriasis (1.88; 95% CI 1.27, 2.79) independent of depression status. RA was also independently associated with preeclampsia. Prenatal depression was not independently associated with preterm birth or preeclampsia, nor was there any synergism with autoimmune conditions.

Conclusion

If these findings are confirmed, the absence of synergism should be encouraging news to the many women with select autoimmune conditions and depression in pregnancy.