Neonatal and pediatric outcome of infants born to mothers with Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Objective: To determine any adverse outcome to infants born to mothers with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). Design: Case control study with retrospective data collection and prospective pediatric review. Setting: Regional Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic based at a University Teaching Hospital. Participants: Infants (n = 62) of mothers with APS, compared to 124 index cases randomly selected from the delivery register, matched for gestation and sex who delivered between 1992 and 1997. Results: Sixty two infants born to 55 women with APS were reviewed to study the neonatal outcome. The prematurity rate for the group was 10 %, compared to 8.5 % for the total hospital population over the same period of time. Twenty-one percent (21 %) had birth weights less than or equal to the 10th centile, which was not statistically significant compared to matched controls. The presence of dual parameter positivity (lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody) for APS is clearly associated with a higher incidence of growth restriction. All children were normal on neurodevelopmental anti physical examination at pediatric review. Conclusions: There was a low rate of preterm delivery. Although the incidence of growth restriction of 21 % is higher than expected it was not statistically significant. There were no developmental abnormalities on followup of these children.